MARITIME BOOST: After much delay, the RND finally conducted a trial run of the first Ro-Ro ferry along the Ribandar–Chorao route on Tuesday.
Photo Credits: Narayan Pissurlenkar
PANAJI
After much delay, the first roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) ferry arrived and the River Navigation Department did a trial run on Tuesday morning along the Chorao–Ribandar route.
Built at a shipyard in Rassaim, Loutolim the Ro-Ro ferry has a capacity of 15 cars and another 15 two-wheelers besides a sheltered sitting area for passengers.
Ro-Ro ferries will be a big boon to the RND's ferry service as it will help save trip time.
The RND however did not specify when the regular commercial runs will begin on the Ribandar-Chorao route even as the department claimed the trial runs went on smoothly without any hitch.
Initially set for a launch in mid-March, the launch of the Ro-Ro ferry got delayed because of a delay in delivery of the craft. The jetties (ramps) built under the Smart City project too were readied and handed over to the RND only by March end.
The service will be a huge relief to the Chorao islanders as crossing the river to get to the mainland will now be swifter as the Ro-Ro ferry does not need to reverse after taking off from the jetties. Also they accommodate more vehicles per trip and getting in and out of the ferry will be easier.
The RND plans to introduce two Ro-Ro ferry boats on the Ribandar-Chorao route which otherwise requires six ferry boats to service the traffic from the Chorao island to the Panaji-Ribandar mainland.
Introduction of Ro-Ro ferries was a subject of discussion at the highest government and political levels for nearly three decades in Goa.
At one stage, industrialist and former Sanvordem MLA, the late Anil Salgaocar, had officially proposed in the Goa legislative assembly that one of his firms will operate Ro-Ro ferries on as many routes that the government was willing to privatise and authorise.
