Sonowal to flag off first international cargo from Assam to Bangladesh

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will flag off the first international cargo voyage from Assam's Dibrugarh to Bangladesh. The ship will carry methanol, marking the first time a cargo consignment sails from Dibrugarh to a foreign port since Independence.

The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal, will flag off the first international cargo voyage at 11 AM at Bogibeel Terminal from Assam's Dibrugarh on Monday. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will join the ceremony virtually as Chief Guest.

According to the press release by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the maiden voyage will carry methanol produced by Assam Petro-Chemicals Limited (APCL) from Bogibeel to Pangaon Port in Dhaka, Bangladesh, via National Waterway-2 (river Brahmaputra) and the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBPR). It will be the first time since Independence that a cargo consignment sails from Dibrugarh to a foreign port.

Reviving Historic Trade Links

For generations before Independence, the Brahmaputra was Upper Assam's main link to the markets of the world, and Dibrugarh was among the region's most important river ports. Tomorrow's flag-off marks the return of that link, reflecting the Government's push to develop inland waterways as a cheaper, greener and more efficient mode of transport for the Northeast.

The ceremony will be attended by Charan Boro, Minister of Transport, Government of Assam; Rameswar Teli, Minister of Labour Welfare, Government of Assam; and Bimal Borah, Minister of Industries, Commerce and Public Enterprises, Government of Assam, as Special Guests, the release said.

The event is being organised by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and IWAI, together with the Government of Assam and APCL. (ANI)

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