GUWAHATI : The Inland Water Transport (IWT) department has released one more ferry from today between Majuli and Neamatighat on the Brahmaputra for the visitors to Raas Festival in Majuli - the river island district of Assam. Along with increasing the number of ferries from seven to eight, efficient safety measure have been inculcated by the department.
This year, the IWT has focused a lot on the safety measures for the passengers in the ferry and also in the ghats, to avoid any sort of unpleasant incidents. Last year, on September 2021, a motorized country boat was hit by a fairly larger boat approaching from the other side. The boat that sank was going from Majuli to Neamatighat and three people died in that particular accident.
Champak Pujari, the IWT deputy director visited Majuli to personally look after the operation of the ferry and monitor the safety of all the visitors during the festival.
He said that measures have been taken for better lighting and the public announcement in the ghats has been improved by the department in collaboration with the district administration. He further mentioned about the developed and increased man-power for guiding the visitors for e-ticketing and other purposes. Assam Electronic Development Corporation Limited has also taken initiatives to make this festival a stress free one. They have provided full assistance and co operation to the IWT department.
Pulak Mahanta said that proper arrangements has been made for the Raas festival and they are expecting huge crowds this time.
The Raas festival will start from Monday onward and will be a 10 days celebration until Thursday in different parts of the state. This year the excitement is on top form as it is taking place in a better manner after two years of Pandemic gap. Majuli being the cultural hub of Assam is all set to welcome visitors from different parts of the world.
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