GUWAHATI, Sept 15: In view of the inconvenience caused passengers following the ban on plying of single-engine boats, the Assam government has decided to enhance the daily Ro-Pax trips and induct more vessels to serve daily commuters between Majuli and Jorhat.
This was announced on Wednesday by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during his second stock-taking visit to Nimatighat after the boat mishap on September 8.
“Though the inland water transport (IWT) department has made the services of two Ro-Pax operational (since the incident), efforts are on to add more for the convenience of the passengers. There will be three Ro-Pax trips as against two earlier to Aphalamukh and Kamalabari ghats,” Sarma said.
“Two more vessels, MV Raj Lakshmi and MV Digaru, will reach Majuli in the next couple of days besides another ship developed by IWT which is in the pipeline,” Sarma said, adding that he has requested Union ports, shipping and waterways minister Sarbananda Sonowal to set up two more jetties and include two more Ro-Pax vessels in the fleet.
In view of the passenger demands, the IWT department informed the chief minister that it found two local boats having marine engines fit for operation from Wednesday. However, it will be made sure that they comply with all safety measures set forth by the government.
An app will also be launched by next week for booking tickets from home by the passengers so that they do not have to make long queues to the counters from odd hours.
Further, two night buses will ply between Jorhat and Majuli via Dibrugarh as an option for commuters who might prefer the road route.
The chief minister further informed that eight single-engine boats, the services of which have been suspended after the mishap, would be fitted with marine engines at the expense of the state government.
Sarma inspected the safety measures put in place at the ghats to avert the recurrence of such mishaps in future.
It may be noted that the state government announced a set of safety measures as new SOPs for the water vessels to ply between Jorhat and Majuli and elsewhere in the state for the safety of the passengers.
In view of this, the chief minister today took stock of the new safety measures being put in place by the IWT department and the district administration of both Jorhat and Majuli for the ferry passengers.
He also inspected the operating protocols of Ro-Pax plying between Jorhat and Majuli.
