Silchar: Assam industries and commerce minister Chandra Mohan Patowary on Sunday termed the Namami Barak festival "a gateway to progress and development of the Barak Valley" and said the river festivals, including Namami Brahmaputra, are attempts by the state government to highlight the potential of the state to attract investors.
Speaking at a seminar at the Town Club grounds here, Patowary said, "The government has a prudent vision to develop inland water transport, as part of which it has come up with the initiative of river festivals. Namami Brahmaputra and Namami Barak are not just festivals, but an endeavour to promote/highlight the true potential of the state and thereby attract investors from all across the world."
The seminar was on the topic Inland Water Transport Prospects, Potential and Possibilities, with emphasis in India-Bangladesh protocol on transit and trade.
Patowary said when the state/valley gets connected with Bangladesh, it would have a stronghold on the market of South-East Asian nations.
He said, "Assam has around 10 per cent of the country's water resources. But the previous governments never took any initiative to utilise this", adding that the dredging of the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers would be carried out on a war footing.
"Altogether 11 dredgers will operate, of which six will be used in the Brahmaputra and five in the Barak," he added.
The director of Inland Water Transport of India, Guwahati, A.K. Bansal, said inland water transport had been neglected after road and railway transport came into effect.
He said the scenario was changing and water transport was getting importance because of its eco-friendly/non-polluting aspects.
Assam transport department commissioner and secretary Ashutosh Agnihotri, experts from the World Bank, including senior transport specialists Yin Yin Lam and Atul Aggarwal and senior social development specialist Md Yasin Noori, took part in the seminar.
Public holiday
The Assam government has declared a public holiday on Monday in Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj districts for Namami Barak festival.
All government offices, revenue and magisterial courts and educational and financial institutions will remain closed.
