GUWAHATI: As the water of the mighty Brahmaputra rises after months, private ferry owners are gearing up with marine engines provided by the Assam Government.
Inland Water Transport (IWT) officials informed that services of private ferries on the Guwahati-North Guwahati route will resume soon. Reportedly, nine ferries have already been equipped with the second marine engine as provided by the Government.
Ferry owners and boatmen are hopeful of reviving their lost livelihood after two years of halt - firstly, due to the COVID pandemic and secondly, after the Assam Government had banned single-engine ferries after the Nimatighat tragedy of September 2021.
It needs to be mentioned that the sudden halt of private ferries has immensely affected daily communication, especially in areas where ferries play a significant role in everyday life. This includes the Guwahati-North Guwahati route and the Nimatighat-Majuli route.
A regular commuter from North Guwahati-Guwahati said,
"The Inland Water Transport Department has given several Ro-Pax boats as a replacement for smaller ferries, but these are never sufficient as they have fixed timings which are not equally distributed throughout the day”.
Boatmen, speaking to G Plus said that they have been facing a severe financial crunch in the past two years but are hopeful of recovering soon.
"Every marine engine is provided with insurance and safety certificates immediately by the IWT. So we are hopeful of starting service soon," a boatman said.
IWT officials further opined that the fluctuations in the water level of the Brahmaputra are hampering the services of all boats as the ghats had to be constantly changed. After a sudden increase in the water level, it is decreasing in the past two days, about 1-1.5 feet per day.