Revitalizing Inland Waterways: Strategic Implications of the Dibrugarh-Dhaka Cargo Corridor

The recent flagging off of the inaugural international cargo voyage from Dibrugarh, Assam, to Dhaka, Bangladesh, represents a strategic pivot in India’s Act East Policy. By utilizing the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) Route, this initiative seeks to move beyond traditional road and rail logistics, tapping into the historical riverine trade networks that once defined the economic landscape of the Brahmaputra-Meghna basin. This development is not merely a logistical milestone but a deliberate effort to integrate the landlocked Northeast region into the broader South Asian economic grid. For India, the operationalization of this route addresses the 'chicken's neck' bottleneck by providing an alternative, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable mode of transport. Inland Water Transport (IWT) is significantly more energy-efficient than road or rail, aligning with India’s commitment to reducing the carbon footprint of its logistics sector. Furthermore, this voyage underscores the deepening bilateral cooperation between New Delhi and Dhaka, signaling a move toward seamless multimodal connectivity. By reducing transit times and logistics costs, the initiative is expected to catalyze industrial growth in Assam, facilitating the export of local produce and resources to international markets via the Chittagong and Mongla ports.