Riverine Lighthouses , Sarbananda Sonowal Lays Foundation Stones

India took a pioneering step in inland waterway navigation as Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation stones for four river lighthouses along the banks of the Brahmaputra River, marking the first time lighthouse infrastructure will be established on an inland waterway in the country.

The ceremony, held at Lachit Ghat, Guwahati, was jointly organised by the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL) and the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), under the aegis of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW).

The project was conceived following an initiative by the Minister’s Office to explore the feasibility of river lighthouses in the Northeast. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between IWAI and DGLL was signed on April 8, 2025, covering all four sites. Sites were formally transferred to DGLL under Right of Use agreements executed in June 2025, after a technical proposal placed before the Central Advisory Committee for Aids to Navigation. Each lighthouse is scheduled for completion within 24 months of award of contract, following geotechnical investigation, topographic survey and detailed design.(UPDATED ON 5TH MARCH 2026