Guwahati, Nov 1: The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has commenced dredging of a sizeable amount of silt from the mouth of the Neamati-Kamalabari channel to facilitate resumption of ferry services between Jorhat and Majuli from Wednesday.
A team, led by experts from the IWAI, have been using CSD Alakananda along with tug boat Khudiram Bose to remove a sizeable quantity of silt from the mouth of the channel, which has allowed to reclaim two metres of least assured draft (LAD) at the mouth of the channel for safe passage and resumption of ferry services.
Notably, the ferry service on the stretch had to be stalled from October 20 after the channel depth of Neamati-Kamalabari became 0.5 metres against a minimum of 1.5 metres. The Assam government subsequently requested dredging and application of other means of development of the fairway in the silted channel for resumption of the ferry service.
Union minister of ports, shipping and waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal took to X (formerly Twitter) to state, “Expedient efforts, including dredging operations by IWAI and Government of Assam, have ensured resumption of ferry services between Majuli and Jorhat on NW 2 (Brahmaputra).”