Assam To Get 20 New Customised Ro-Pax Ferries Soon

GUWAHATI: Assam is going to get 20 new customised Ro-Pax ferries soon. Three of the 20 ferries are expected to arrive in the state within the next one to two months.

As per reports, the ferries will be of "catamaran" design. Basically, these are like yachts or boats having twin hulls in parallel. Among the 20 ferries, 10 ferries will have a capacity of 50 passengers, while the other 10 ferries will have a capacity of 100 passengers.

At present, the state has four Ro-Pax ferries. These were made operational in February this year. One of them operates between Guwahati and North Guwahati, while two operate between Neamati Ghat and Majuli. Another ferry operates between Dhubri to South Salmara.

It may be mentioned that ferry services between Guwahati and North Guwahati resumed on Monday after months of closure. Gautam Das, the director of Inland Water Transport (IWT), told media persons that the ferry services have been resumed for the public following Covid protocols. Vaccination has not been made mandatory yet, he said. As per reports, the timings and the fares will remain the same as earlier until any further notice. The services (ferry services) between Guwahati and North Guwahati were closed in May this year when the state government issued restrictions on inter-district travel in view of the second wave of the "deadly" coronavirus (Covid-19).

The government had given a nod regarding other modes of public transport from September 2, however, the ban on the ferry services continued because of the rising water levels of the Brahmaputra river. Earlier this month, a river cruise of the South Coast restaurant near Fancy Bazar in the city capsized following an increase in the Brahmaputra's water level over the past few weeks.

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