The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), on August 3, held a meeting with stakeholders in Shillong to explore the idea of transporting coal and other minerals through waterways.
Vinayak Azaad, member of the IWAI, said that the minerals from the state can be exported through waterways to different parts of the country and even to Bangladesh through Pandu port in Guwahati.
“We from IWAI would like to promote the use of national waterways for transportation of bulk cargo. The idea was to have an interaction and understand what are the requirements of the stakeholders in this regard,” he said.
He said that the Pandu port connects the mainland India to Bangladesh.
Azaad informed that the stakeholders are primarily the ones who have been given licences for coal extraction, people from logistics, transport sector, officers from IWAI, and representatives of the terminal operators.
Asked about the response of the stakeholders, Azaad mentioned that the response was positive, and the stakeholders have shown enthusiasm in this regard.
He said suggestions and inputs were taken from all the stakeholders during the meeting, and more such meetings will be held to materialise the same.