Patna, June 17 — Union Minister for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday announced the forthcoming launch of water metro services in Patna, positioning the city as a major inland water transport hub along the Ganga River.
The announcement came during a high-level consultation meeting focused on the development of inland waterways across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. Minister Sonowal highlighted the Centre’s long-term vision to unlock the economic and ecological potential of India’s river systems through enhanced cargo movement, tourism, and livelihood generation.
“The upcoming water metro service will connect both banks of the Ganga and provide a clean, efficient, and modern solution for urban mobility in Patna,” Sonowal said. “We are also upgrading the National Inland Navigation Institute as a Centre of Excellence with fresh investments.”
Sonowal credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership over the past 11 years for revitalising India’s inland waterway infrastructure, with National Waterway 1 (NW-1) emerging as a central pillar of this transformation. The 1,390-kilometre-long NW-1, stretching from Varanasi to Haldia, spans key states including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.
“Bihar, blessed by the sacred Ganga, is poised to become a vital inland waterways transport hub,” Sonowal said. “We are working in close coordination with state governments to make inland navigation a core component of India’s sustainable multimodal logistics strategy.”
As part of the NW-1 initiative, Patna will soon house two inland water terminals, alongside a dedicated vessel repair and manufacturing facility. Additionally, 16 community jetties are planned across districts in Bihar, while Kalu Ghat will be developed into a state-of-the-art waterway centre.
To further strengthen riverine trade and transport, a dedicated task force will be constituted to identify and advance opportunities in 12 Ganga-adjacent districts in Bihar. According to the minister, these projects are expected to generate employment, spur regional tourism, and contribute to India’s broader economic growth.
The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), he noted, is currently conducting 10,000 km of monthly longitudinal surveys to assess Least Available Depth (LAD) across navigable waterways. This survey coverage, presently spanning 11 states, is expected to expand to 22 states and four Union Territories by 2027.
The consultation meeting was attended by several key stakeholders, including Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh, Bihar’s Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, Uttar Pradesh Transport Minister Dayashankar Singh, West Bengal Waterways and Irrigation Minister Manas Ranjan Bhunia, and IWAI Chairman Vijay Kumar.
The move signals a major policy thrust towards sustainable inland transport systems, reinforcing India’s commitment to green logistics and regional connectivity.
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