Sarbananda Sonowal, the Union's Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said there are 20 national waterways in the northeast and several projects worth more than Rs 8 billion are being implemented for the development of these national waterways in that region.

He further stated that he had attended the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and Numaligarh Refinery (NRL). The purpose of this MoU is to use National Waterways-2 (Brahmaputra) and the Indo Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBPR) to export petroleum products to Bangladesh and other countries in Southeast Asia.

The main purpose of the MoU is to support the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, which aims to improve India's Act East Policy. NRL plans to export approximately 10,000 tons of petroleum and petrochemical products each month from the IWAI Jogighopa Multi Modal terminal. NRL plans to establish a POL Oil Terminal at Jogighopa Logistics Park with rail connectivity. This agreement aims to fulfil the 'Hydrocarbon Vision 2030 for Northeast' by enabling the transport of goods by inland waterways using NW2 and IBPR, ushering in a new phase of EXIM trade for the North-East region.

Sonowal: "This marks an important moment for the promotion of inland trade in the Northeast India region. The aim of the MoU is to strengthen the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, which aims to bring about transformative changes in freight traffic in the region. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visionary Act East policy enables Northeast India, under his dynamic leadership, to unlock the full potential of the hydrocarbon vision 2030. Modiji recognizes the potential of the Northeast to boost India's growth. We must effectively explore our extensive network of water bodies and rich hydrocarbon potential to support the realization of Prime Minister Narendra Modiji vision. "

Sonowal said: "NRL is currently implementing the Numaligarh Refinery Expansion Project (NREP), a project that combines refinery expansion and modernisation with a capital expenditure of Rs 28,026 Crores. As part of this project, NRL plans to transport more than 16 Over Dimension Consignments/Overweight Shipments (ODC/OWC). They have already successfully transported five ODC parcels from major industrial hubs in West India to the NRL project site using the Haldia port and the IBPR and NW2 routes. The weight of the cargo transported is currently around 4,500 tonnes. If this were transported by road, about 300 trucks would have been needed."