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Context

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday (February 18, 2025) inaugurated an Inland Waterways Terminal (IWT) on Brahmaputra in Assam’s Jogighopa.

About Inland Waterways Terminal

• It refers to the movement of people and goods on navigable waterways such as rivers, canals, lakes etc.
• Legislative Frameworks
• Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) in 1986 is created under Inland Waterways Authority of India Act, 1985 It is an autonomous organization responsible for development, maintenance and regulation of National Waterways (NWs).
• The Authority primarily undertakes projects for development and maintenance of IWT infrastructure on national waterways through grant received from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
• It presently has five regional offices in
• Guwahati (Assam)
• Patna (Bihar)
• Kochi (Kerala)
• Bhubaneswar (Odisha)
• Kolkata (West Bengal)
• Inland Waterways Authority of India Headquarter: Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
• National Waterways Act, 2016: It has declared 111 inland waterways as ‘National Waterways’ (NWs).
• NW-1 (Haldia – Allahabad on Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River System)
• NW-2 (Dhubri – Sadiya on River Brahmaputra)
• Inland Vessels Act, 2021: It replaced over 100 years old Inland Vessels Act, 1917 to facilitate harmonised regulation of the inland vessels and their safe navigation
  

Significance of Inland Water Transport

• Cargo traffic on NWs has witnessed an exponential growth in the last decade. It aids in logistic sector.
• Cruise Bharat Mission aims to significantly increase sea and river cruise travellers by 2029k, boosts tourism sector.

About IWT Jogighopa

• It is located on Brahmaputra River, Assam.
• Port of Call: Under Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWT&T) between India and Bangladesh.
• Port of call is an intermediate port where ships customarily stop for supplies, repairs, or transshipment of cargo.

Sources:

THE HINDU