Sarbananda Sonowal Lays Foundation Stones for India First Riverine Lighthouses on Brahmaputra National Waterway-2

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on March 4, 2026 laid the foundation stones for four riverine lighthouses along the banks of the Brahmaputra River in Assam, marking the first time lighthouse infrastructure will be established on an inland waterway in the country. The ceremony was held at Lachit Ghat, Guwahati, and was jointly organised by the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL) and the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI). The four sites are Bogibeel in Dibrugarh district, Pandu in Kamrup (Metro) district, Silghat in Nagaon district — all along the south bank of the river — and Biswanath Ghat in Biswanath district, the only site on the north bank. They are strategically placed along the Brahmaputra which has been designated as National Waterway-2. Each lighthouse is to be solar-powered and equipped with navigation aids enabling 24x7 safe movement of cargo and passenger vessels, along with weather observation sensors. Total project outlay is around ₹84 crore with each lighthouse scheduled for completion within 24 months of contract award, following geotechnical investigation, topographic survey and detailed design. The structures will also incorporate tourism amenities such as museums, amphitheatres and viewing galleries to promote lighthouse tourism in the Northeast. The initiative is expected to support the sustained growth of freight and passenger traffic on NW-2, which is central to the government push to expand inland water transport as a low-emission mode of connectivity for the Northeast.