‘Dwarka’ and ‘Gangotri’ begin journey on Monday
Panaji : Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said the state government plans to start Ro-Ro ferryboats on more routes in Goa, which will help in boosting tourism and public transportation through waterways.
Speaking after launching two Ro-Ro ferryboats ‘Dwarka’ and ‘Gangotri’ on the Ribandar-Chorao route, Sawant said, “The Ro-Ro ferryboats have been built in Goa. Goa was number one in shipbuilding. We are also in the process of forming shipbuilding clusters.”
“Earlier, it used to take 15-20 minutes to cover this route. But these ferryboats will cover the route in five minutes,” he said.
River Navigation Minister Subhash Phal Dessai said the Ro-Ro ferryboats have a capacity to take 16 four-wheelers, 40 two-wheelers and more than 100 passengers at a time.
“These vessels are in true sense a ‘make in Goa’ project. We have to think about how we will develop our waterways and give a boost to the economy as well as tourism,” Phal Dessai said.
The services will be reviewed in two months’ time, following which the government will explore the possibility of introducing them on other routes, he said.
The Ro-Ro ferryboats, built by Vijay Marine Services, will function on the ‘design, build, finance, operate and transfer’ basis. They have replaced the six conventional ferryboats operating on the route from 7 am to 9 pm.
From 9 pm to 7 am, two conventional ferryboats will be deployed on this route.
On an average, 6,000 two-wheelers and 1,200 four-wheelers commute on the Ribandar-Chorao ferry route every day.
