Guwahati, Feb. 18 -- Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday inaugurated the Inland Waterways Terminal (IWT) at Jogighopa in Assam's Bongaigaon district, dedicating it to the nation.

The inauguration was marked by the flagging off of the vessel MV Padma Navigation II, carrying 110 metric tonnes of coal and stone chips along with barges Ajay and Dikshu, destined for Bangladesh.

A separate vessel, MV Trishul, also departed with stone chips for Bangladesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the terminal in February 2021.

Strategically located 91 km from Gelephu, Bhutan, 108 km from the Bangladesh border, and 147 km from Guwahati, the Jogighopa terminal is poised to play a crucia...