Guwahati: Two massive reactors, weighing 1,160 Megatonnes (MT) and 663 MT respectively, have been carried from Surat in Gujarat to Assam’s Numaligarh Refinery via National Waterway-2 in an effort to improve Aatma Nirbhar Bharat.
Sharing the news on his official Twitter handle, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote, “This is excellent news. Before 2014, who would have imagined that heavy industrial machinery would be transported from Gujarat to Assam via waterway and not highway! #NewIndia”
Meanwhile, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal said that waterways are becoming the new India. In his Twitter handle, he wrote, “Waterways are becoming the New Highways of #NewIndia. Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji’s efforts have rejuvenated the sector and this is just the start of an exciting future. #Gatishakti”
Furthermore, Sonowal stated that with the inauguration of the Sittwe Port in Myanmar, Northeast India is prepared to revamp its transportation industry.
The port was constructed as part of the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP) with financial aid from the Government of India. It will give landlocked Northeast India a different option to use instead of the international marine channels.