Doyang, Noune, Shilloi Lakes in focus as Centre pushes waterway development in Nagaland

Published on May 19, 2025

Sarbananda Sonowal during a review meeting on Monday.
DIMAPUR — Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, has reaffirmed the Centre’s commitment to developing inland waterway infrastructure in the Northeast, including Nagaland.
A press release on Monday stated that the minister made this remark during a review meeting held with senior officials from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), Public Works Department (PWD), Indian Port Rail and Ropeway Corporation Limited (IPRCL) and Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL).
Sonowal highlighted that the development of inland waterways aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Viksit Bharat by 2047’, and stated that projects worth INR 1,000 crore are currently in the pipeline, targeted for completion by 2026.
Of this, INR 300 crore worth of projects have already been completed, and the remaining INR 700 crore projects are expected to be finished by the end of 2025.

“The Union government is actively developing key infrastructure projects along NW2 (Brahmaputra) and NW16 (Barak), including the construction of passenger vessels of various capacities, terminal facilities, and capacity-building initiatives.
“Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also reviewed progress on the proposed Inland Water Transport (IWT) project at Doyang Lake, and assessed the potential of Noune and Shilloi Lakes in Nagaland for water sports and tourism,” it stated.