GuwahatI: Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, announced on Wednesday that construction on the Pandu ship repair facility in Guwahati will begin in May 2022, with the government aiming to finish the project by 2024.
According to the sources, on December 27, Sonowal met with top officials from the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), Cochin Shipyard Ltd and IIT-Madras to discuss the status of the Pandu ship repair facility in Guwahati.
The technical work is being completed as construction of the facility set to begin in May 2022. The project is expected to be finished in two years by 2024, according to official.
This facility will play a significant role in the region’s economic recovery, official added.
The new ship repair facility was announced on August 26, 2021.
IWAI and Cochin Shipyard Ltd are working together on the design and implementation of this project, with IIT-Madras providing technical support, it said.
The minister further said that the development of the waterways is crucial to the northeast’s future growth, official added.
He stated that work on National Waterway 2 (Brahmaputra) and National Waterway 6 (Barak) has already begun, which will assist in the facilitation of cargo, passenger traffic and tourist jetties for the region’s economic growth.
Dredging of both rivers at important junctures is needed to achieve appropriate depth for cargo ship transit, according to the minister, in order to create a motorable canal.
