RailEnquiry

KOLKATA: After the power shift, now comes the renewed urgency from the state to strengthen the river transport to ease pressure off both road and railways.Ever since Mamata Banerjee became the chief minister, she has been insisting on the development of waterways to take some pressure off the road and rail transport. The move, according to officials, is also aimed at promoting tourism in the state.The CM has prepared a plan to develop Hooghly waterway of greater Kolkata on the lines of the Thames in model that of London. The Thames is a vital transportation route for accessing London from its suburbs, said transport minister Madan Mitra.The transport department is planning to utilize 57 gangway-pontoon jetties along a 324-km stretch upstream from Tribeni in Hooghly, which were built by West Bengal Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation (WBTIDC) with 90% funding from the Centre and 10% from the state under a water transportation development project.

It may be noted that the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system from Allahabad to Haldia has been declared the National Waterway No.1 under the National Waterway Act.

At present, there is hardly any launch service beyond the city limits to connect the farthest part of the suburbs with the heart of the city. "The beauty of the Hooghly can now only be enjoyed from the ferry ghat, one can just walk up to his or her office in Dalhousie. The river transport never got its due importance," added Mitra. At present, regular launch services are confined to the city core area. Mostly they crisscross the river along its breadth.

A study by the transport department shows a huge potential for extended launch services beyond the city since both road and rail transportation have exceeded their saturation level.

Initially, the West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation (WBSTC) will run the ferry services. The government will seek the participation of private players and the big cooperative societies that have the expertise in running launch services on the Hooghly. A few private players have also shown interest in running these longer versions of launch service. Already, the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation has shown interest in running a cruise between Kolkata and Malda.

The Hooghly is not only free of congestion, it is also a strong viable alternative for passengers who can have a pleasant journey along the river. "Since the European Colony - French, Dutch, Portuguese, Armenian - had settled along the river, the Europeans have great interest in visiting these places. Such river cruise will also be introduced in the Sunderbans," said state tourism minister Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhury.

If things go according to plans, cruising along the river would never be the same again. The project will help tourists visit several a lot of the otherwise sites, which can't be accessed now.

Besides the tourism boost, the project will also facilitate economic growth in these areas. Strategically located on both banks of the Hooghly, most of the places are inaccessible by steamers and launches, thanks to lack of infrastructure. There are ferry services, but they operate in a primitive way. People often have to wade through hip-deep water to access the land after disembarking from the boats. Often, boats overturn because of overloading. Life across the river gets severely hindered, thanks to the underdeveloped river transportation system.

14 key jetties were constructed at on both sides of Plassey, Nabadwip, Agradwip, Daihat, Katwa, Shaktipur and Kalna. Among them, at Katwa and Kalna, even vehicles can be accommodated on the launches, said officers. The Centre bore 90% of the project cost, only 10% was borne by the state.

"Not only transportation and tourism, a lot of trading and business activities will receive a shot in the arm. Thanks to overdependence on river-transportation, the project would replenish new blood to local trade and as well as daily life," added the official.

"Since these locations covered almost the entire tourism circuit along the Hooghly, we will be at a most advantageous position for promoting tourism in these areas. We have Hooghly cruises. But the cruise loses its sheen considerably as tourists have to make a great effort to access the land. Often, may areas cannot be accessed at all. Because of the infrastructure problem, the area remained a largely untapped tourism destination," said a senior West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation officer.