Government to Develop Eastern Grid with over 5,000 Kms of Navigable Waterways

To unlock trade potential of USD 49 bn among BBIN – BIMSTEC – ASEAN Countries

Padmesh Prabhune

The Government of India plans to develop the Eastern Grid with over 5,000 kms of navigable waterways for tapping the trade potential across South Asia and Eastern South Asia.

Speaking at the recently held ‘Inland Waterways Summit’, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, said, “Encouraged by the results of work done on National Waterways 1 – the river Ganga under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji, the government is working extensively to develop the Eastern Grid with more than 5,000 kms of navigable waterways.”

The development of this grid will not only boost regional integration and accelerate development, but it will further deepen eastern India’s trade with countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal (BBIN). It will also further amplify trade potential with countries like Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Under the visionary leadership of PM Modiji, we want to explore this immense potential of trade for the economic progress and development of the eastern part of India.”

The Union Minister said, “With the seamless connection between NW-1(Ganga), NW-2(Brahmaputra) and NW-16(Barak), the government is keen to create opportunity via an economic corridor of 3,500 kms connecting the Northeast with the rest of India, via Bangladesh.

“This will also link Bhutan and Nepal with Bangladesh onto the international trade routes through multi-modal connections developed in India. The Eastern Grid can unlock multi-lateral trade potential of $49 billion dollars as Government remains committed to accelerate growth.”

Noting that as India is developing Sittwe port in Myanmar, the regional economic integration, cooperation and amplification can smoothly happen among BBIN – BIMSTEC – ASEAN countries. The Government intends to turn it around by working to resolve with all stakeholders to simplify tariff and non tariff barriers, transit regulations, interoperability of vehicle fleet, and many such technical limitations.

Marex Media