IWAI's new Ro-Ro terminal at Assam to enhance cargo and passenger transport in North East

BY Our Correspondent21 March 2017 7:37 PM GMT

Mar 22, 2017: The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) carried out successful berthing operation of a vessel at its newly constructed permanent state-of-the-art Roll-on Roll-off (Ro-Ro) terminal built at a cost of Rs.46 crore on Brahmaputra river (National Waterway-2) in Assam's Dhubri district.

IWAI's initiative opens a new gate of opportunities in the region by paving the way for drastically bridging the distance and cost for cargo and passenger movement between Dhubri and Hatsingimari which shares its border with Meghalaya.

The Ro-Ro vessel, MV Gopinath Bordoloi which was flagged off from Haldia port (West Bengal) via the India-Bangladesh Protocol Route, successfully carried its first load from Dhubri terminal recently. Built at a cost of approximately Rs.10 crore, MV Gopinath Bordoloi is 46.50 metre long and 13.30 metre wide with a draft of 1.50 metre. It has a capacity to transport eight trucks and 200 passengers at a time.

The IWAI vessel will be deployed for Ro-Ro service between Dhubri and Hatsingimari having a total waterway length of 29 kilometre. This new service will avoid the circuitous route of 220 kilometre to reach Meghalaya on the opposite side. Dhubri is one of the business hubs of Assam, which is connected to Meghalaya presently through a road bridge over river Brahmaputra at Jogighopa. IWAI is also exploring other sites in North East to facilitate quick movement of goods and passengers across the rivers, effectively acting as floating bridges.