India inaugurates its first river lighthouses on Brahmaputra to enhance inland navigation and tourism
Guwahati: In a historic development for India’s inland navigation, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today laid the foundation stones for the country’s first river lighthouses along the Brahmaputra. The four lighthouses will be located at Bogibeel in Dibrugarh, Pandu in Kamrup Metropolitan, Silghat in Nagaon, all on the river’s southern bank, and Biswanath Ghat in Biswanath district on the northern bank.
Speaking at the ceremony, Sonowal highlighted that the sites were strategically chosen along National Waterway 2, one of India’s key routes for cargo and passenger transport. The lighthouses will collectively cost Rs 84 crore, stand about 20 metres tall, and have a geographical range of 14 nautical miles and a luminous range of 8–10 nautical miles, operating fully on solar power.
The facilities will include tourism and public amenities such as a museum, amphitheatre, cafeteria, children’s play zone, souvenir shop, and landscaped recreational areas. Sonowal emphasised that these features will transform the sites into functional maritime infrastructure as well as vibrant tourist destinations.
The project, driven under the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aims to enhance freight transport on the Brahmaputra, reduce logistics costs, decongest highways, and strengthen Assam’s supply chain, marking a transformative milestone in the Northeast’s inland waterway infrastructure.
The ceremony was attended by Ministers Ranjeet Kr Dass, Jayanta Malla, MP Bijuli K Medhi, and other dignitaries who joined in commemorating this historic occasion.
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