Officials from the Government of Nagaland, Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) Assam and RITES Limited on Tuesday conducted a joint inspection of Noune Lake as part of plans to develop water transport infrastructure at the site.
The visit was carried out under the Central Sector Scheme (CSS) of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, through which the Centre funds inland waterways projects in the Northeast.
According to officials, RITES Limited has been tasked with preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the proposed development. A DPR is a technical document that studies whether a project is feasible, what kind of infrastructure can be built, how much it will cost and how it can be implemented.
In practical terms, the inspection means the project has moved beyond the proposal stage and into on-ground assessment.
While officials described the project as part of inland water transport development, earlier records from the Nagaland State Transport Department indicate that the proposals for Noune and Shilloi lakes also include tourism and water sports-related infrastructure.
At present, there is no commercial waterways network operating in Nagaland. However, the Centre has in recent years started exploring the potential of lakes and river systems in the state as part of its broader push to expand waterways infrastructure across the Northeast.
Noune Lake is one of three locations currently under consideration in Nagaland, along with Doyang Reservoir and Shilloi Lake.
Separately, Inland Waterways Authority of India has also carried out surveys on stretches of the Tizu–Zungki river system, which was declared National Waterway-101 in 2016.
