• Guwahati-North Guwahati bridge over the Brahmaputra River will be completed in three years
• Commuters are eagerly waiting for the completion of the bridge
• One of the busiest water routes of Assam might soon see a drastic decrease in the number of commuters
• This can lead to the boost in river tourism if government takes serious initiatives
• Beautifying the boats can attract more tourists leading to the development of Guwahati
• New Jibondinga scheme has been introduced for private boat owners
Citizens of Guwahati and North Guwahati will soon be able to use an easier route to commute back and forth by surface instead of taking a ferry. A six-lane extra-dosed bridge is being built over the Brahmaputra River connecting Guwahati and North Guwahati.
The foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 9, 2019 and was the commencement of construction was inaugurated by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on March 1.
The bridge is likely to be completed by August 2023. A majority of the commuters said that they are eagerly waiting to commute over the bridge since it is more convenient. A few said that they will still prefer taking ferries since they have grown up commuting that way and are comfortable taking ferries. A lot of mixed emotions are flowing in about the bridge. One of the busiest water routes of Assam which carries thousands of people everyday might soon see a drastic decrease in the number of commuters. This can be avoided if the government takes serious initiative to boost river tourism in the city.
When G Plus contacted the director of Inland Water Transport, Pabitra Ram Khaund, to enquire about their future plans on river front development, he said, “It is too premature to comment on the same. I believe that ferry services will not be shut down completely since there are a few set of people who will prefer ferries over road transport.”
Guwahati-North Guwahati bridge and Dhola–Sadiya bridge comparison
After the completion of the Dhola–Sadiya Bridge, also known as the Bhupen Hazarika Setu, the longest bridge in India over water, several private boat owners were left jobless.
The government is now coming up with a new rehabilitation project where they will be giving compensation to the people affected by the Dhola-Sadiya Bridge. It stretches over 9.15 kilometres (5.69 miles) and connects the northeast states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
Comparing Guwahati-North Guwahati Bridge to Dhola–Sadiya Bridge, Khaund said, “Unlike the Dhola–Sadiya bridge situation where several boatmen were left jobless, these boatmen will not face the same since there are no private ferries in this case.”
“A new rehabilitation package will be offered to the victims of Dhola–Sadiya Bridge by the government. A small compensation will be given to the owners in order to make up for their loss,” Khaund added.
Points to focus on to boost river tourism in the city
With the advent of the new bridge, citizens of Guwahati and North Guwahati will have a safer option to travel to their workplaces, schools, colleges etc every day. This might lead to the drop in passenger ferries but in order to improve the riverfront, the government can beautify the boats and attract more tourists.
“Safety over the bridge is much greater so people will prefer taking the bridge over ferries. It might be a little time consuming since there will be a lot of traffic but I still feel it would be more convenient,” said Arijit Purkayastha, tour operator of Koyeli Travels.
“Speaking from a boatman’s point of view, beautifying the boats will attract more tourists, leading to their sustainability. Apart from passengers, tourists will be happy to go around in those boats,” he added. He said that the government needs to start focusing on how to boost river tourism. He went on to say that converting boats to floating restaurants will attract a lot of tourists leading to the development of Guwahati.
New Jibondinga scheme
Recently, the government came up with a new scheme - ‘Jibondinga’ - for private boat owners. The objective of this scheme is to provide financial incentives (including training, technical assistance and insurance) to country boat operators in order to enable them to provide safe, secure and sustainable ferry services in inland waterways.
As per approved design and specifications certified by Nodal Agency, existing in-use semi-mechanised country boats like “Bhutbhuti” will be replaced with different sizes of mechanised wooden country boats.
The scheme includes:
• Technical survey of the country boats opting for the scheme
• Mandatory for country boat operators/owners to register with DIWTA before opting for the scheme
• Training country boat operators/owners as per the provision of Inland Vessels Act, 1917, an development of skill-set and competence through capacity building
• Establishing standard operating procedures (SOPs) at Ghats/terminals and engaging qualified personnel to be named ‘JALASARATHI’ to keep vigil on compliance of safety norms and procedures
• Gender empowerment by providing training and employment opportunities to budding women entrepreneurs
• Generation of direct and indirect employment through encouraging small country boat builders for building new boats as per prescribed design standards
• Establishing regulatory mechanism to ensure compliance by country boat operators