In an attempt to enhance Aatma Nirbhar Bharat, two massive reactors weighing about 1,160 Megatonne (MT) and 663 MT have been transported from Surat in Gujarat to Assam's Numaligarh Refinery via National Waterway-2.
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"
Sonowal also said that Northeast India is ready to transform its transportation sector with the opening of the Sittwe Port in Myanmar.
The port was built under the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP) with grant assistance from the Government of India. It will provide an alternate route to international sea routes for landlocked Northeast India.
