Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State for Shipping (Independent Charge) and Chemical & Fertilizers, digitally flagged-off a ship of the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), carrying stone from Bhutan to be delivered in Bangladesh. Till now, Bhutan has been exporting significant quantity of stone aggregates to Bangladesh through the land route. The ship is carrying 1000 MT of stones – 70 trucks would be required to transport the same cargo by road.
Mandaviya said, “The move will be beneficial to India as well as Bhutan and Bangladesh and strengthen relations between the neighbouring countries. He said transport of cargo through this route will cut short travel time by 8-10 days and reduce transportation cost by 30 per cent. It will also be a more environment friendly mode of transport.”