PM Modi to virtually launch 'Mahabahu-Brahmaputra' on Thursday in Assam

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch 'Mahabahu-Brahmaputra', lay the foundation stone of the Dhubri-Phulbari Bridge and perform the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of the Majuli bridge on February 18 via video conferencing.

The launch of 'Mahabahu-Brahmaputra' will be marked by the inauguration of Ro-Pax (roll-on/roll-off passenger service) vessel operations between Neamati-Majuli island, North Guwahati-South Guwahati and Dhubri-Hatsingimari Shilanyas of the inland water transport terminal at Jogighopa, and various tourist jetties on the Brahmaputra, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.

Besides these, digital solutions for ease-of-doing-business will be also launched, it said.

'Mahabahu-Brahmaputra' is aimed at providing seamless connectivity to the eastern parts of India and includes various development activities for the people living around Brahmaputra and Barak rivers.

The Ro-Pax services will help in reducing travel time by providing connectivity between banks and thus reducing the distance to be travelled by road, the PMO noted.

Ro-Pax operation between Neamati and Majuli will reduce the total distance of 420 km currently being travelled by vehicles to only 12 km, resulting in a substantial impact on logistics of small-scale industries of the region.

The programme also includes inaugurations for the construction of tourist jetties at four locations, Neamati, Biswanath Ghat, Pandu and Jogighopa with the financial assistance of Rs 9.41 crores from the Ministry of Tourism, the PMO said.

These jetties will promote river cruise tourism, generate local employment and also generate growth for local businesses.

The PMO said a permanent Inland Water Transport Terminal will also be built at Jogighopa under the programme, which will connect with the multi-modal logistics park also coming up there.

This terminal will help in reducing traffic on the Siliguri Corridor towards Kolkata and Haldia.

The PMO said it will also facilitate uninterrupted movement of cargo even during the flood season to various North-Eastern states like Meghalaya and Tripura and to Bhutan and Bangladesh as well.

Modi will also launch two e-portals to further ease of doing business.

The Car-D (Cargo Data) portal will collate cargo and cruise data on a real-time basis. PANI (Portal for Asset and Navigation Information) will act as an one-stop solution for providing information about river navigation and infrastructure.