Assam Begins Unbundling of IWT Directorate, Staff Fear Privatization

The Assam government has initiated the unbundling of the 68-year-old Inland Waterways Transport (IWT) directorate, raising concerns among employees over possible privatization. Notifications have been issued transferring IWT assets, including vessels, to the Assam Inland Waterways Company Limited and bifurcating the directorate into an operating company and a regulatory body.

The company has floated a tender to lease the new Guwahati river terminal and recently increased ferry fares on the Umananda route. The IWT Director’s post has been re-designated as Managing Director of the company, while a committee has been formed to decide staff deployment.

Around 2,600 employees have expressed anxiety over job security, citing lack of clarity in the transition process. The government says the move aligns with long-pending reforms and a World Bank-funded modernization project, but staff fear phased leasing of ghats and eventual privatization of ferry services across the State.