What Happened
- The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) facilitated the movement of a 189.26 metric tonne Over Dimensional Cargo (ODC) consignment crucial for Assam's semiconductor ecosystem
- The cargo is being transported via National Waterway-2 (Brahmaputra) and has reached Pandu in Guwahati, with final destination at the Tata Semiconductor Assembly plant in Morigaon
- The consignment commenced from Diamond Harbour (West Bengal), ferried by vessel MV Chitrangada through the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBPR) via Dhubri
- The movement demonstrates the growing role of inland waterways as a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable logistics alternative for heavy and specialised cargo
Static Topic Bridges
National Waterways and the National Waterways Act, 2016
India declared 111 National Waterways (including 5 existing and 106 new) under the National Waterways Act, 2016, which came into effect on April 12, 2016. These waterways pass through 24 states and 2 union territories with an approximate total length of 20,274 km, incorporating river systems, creeks, estuaries, and canal systems. National Waterway-2 (River Brahmaputra) was declared in 1988 with a navigable length of 891 km from the Bangladesh border to Sadiya in Assam. Comprehensive development of NW-2 was undertaken by IWAI at a cost of Rs 474 crore during 2020-21 to 2024-25.
- Total National Waterways declared: 111 (under NW Act, 2016); only 29 operational as of 2025
- NW-1: Ganga (Prayagraj to Haldia, 1,620 km) — India's longest and most developed waterway
- NW-2: Brahmaputra (Bangladesh border to Sadiya, 891 km) — used in this consignment
- NW-3: West Coast Canal, Champakara and Udyogmandal Canals (Kerala, 205 km)
- IWAI established: 1986 under the Inland Waterways Authority of India Act, 1985; headquarters: Noida
- Inland water transport is up to 60% cheaper than road and 30% cheaper than rail, with significantly lower carbon emissions
Connection to this news: The transport of heavy semiconductor equipment via NW-2 demonstrates the practical viability of inland waterways for industrial logistics, particularly for Over Dimensional Cargo that is difficult or impossible to move by road due to size and weight constraints.
Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBPR)
The Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route is a bilateral waterway protocol between India and Bangladesh that permits vessels of both countries to transit through each other's inland waterways. Originally signed in 1972, the protocol has been periodically renewed. The IBPR connects the Ganga river system (NW-1) with the Brahmaputra river system (NW-2) through Bangladeshi waterways, bypassing the narrow Siliguri Corridor (Chicken's Neck) — India's only land connection to its northeastern states. The IBPR routes include: Kolkata-Pandu, Kolkata-Karimganj, Pandu-Karimganj, and Rajshahi-Dhulian.
- Protocol first signed: 1972; renewed and expanded periodically (most recently in 2020 for 5 years with automatic renewal)
- Six ports of call on each side designated for cargo handling
- India-side ports of call include: Kolkata, Pandu (Guwahati), Karimganj, and Dhubri
- Bangladesh-side ports include: Narayanganj, Khulna, Mongla, Sirajganj, Ashuganj, and Chilmari
- The route via Bangladesh is significantly shorter and more economical for reaching Northeast India compared to the land route via the Siliguri Corridor
- Cargo transported from Diamond Harbour (near Kolkata) via IBPR to Dhubri and then upriver to Pandu (Guwahati)
Connection to this news: This consignment's journey from Diamond Harbour through the IBPR via Dhubri to Pandu illustrates the strategic importance of the Bangladesh transit route for connecting India's industrial hinterland with the Northeast, reducing logistics costs and transit time for heavy cargo.
India's Semiconductor Mission and Tata's Assam Facility
The India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) was launched in December 2021 under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) with an outlay of Rs 76,000 crore (approximately $10 billion) to develop a semiconductor and display manufacturing ecosystem in India. The mission offers financial support of up to 50% of project cost for semiconductor fabs, display fabs, compound semiconductors, and ATMP (Assembly, Testing, Marking, and Packaging) facilities. Tata Electronics has been a major participant, with its Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facility in Morigaon, Assam, being one of the first operational semiconductor units under the mission.
- India Semiconductor Mission: launched December 2021; outlay: Rs 76,000 crore
- Tata Electronics' Assam facility: OSAT/semiconductor assembly plant at Jagiroad in Morigaon district
- Other major ISM-approved projects: Tata-PSMC fab in Dholera (Gujarat), CG Power OSAT in Sanand (Gujarat), Kaynes OSAT in Telangana
- India's semiconductor imports: approximately $15-20 billion annually
- Global semiconductor market size: approximately $600 billion (2025)
- ATMP (Assembly, Testing, Marking, Packaging) is the back-end of semiconductor manufacturing, involving packaging of fabricated chips
Connection to this news: The transport of 189-tonne equipment to Tata's Morigaon facility demonstrates the logistical challenges of setting up semiconductor infrastructure in the Northeast — and the critical role of inland waterways in solving them, given that such oversized cargo cannot be moved by road through the narrow Siliguri Corridor.
Key Facts & Data
- ODC consignment weight: 189.26 metric tonnes
- Route: Diamond Harbour (WB) → IBPR → Dhubri → NW-2 (Brahmaputra) → Pandu (Guwahati) → Morigaon
- Destination: Tata Semiconductor Assembly, Morigaon, Assam
- Vessel: MV Chitrangada
- NW-2 (Brahmaputra): 891 km from Bangladesh border to Sadiya
- Total National Waterways in India: 111 (NW Act, 2016); 29 operational
- Inland waterways: 60% cheaper than road, 30% cheaper than rail
- India Semiconductor Mission outlay: Rs 76,000 crore (December 2021)
- IWAI established: 1986 under IWAI Act, 1985; headquarters: Noida