World Bank to finance river transport improvement in Kolkata

Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipality’s passenger ferry system throughout the Hooghly, a river in West Bengal, is all set to undergo a magical metamorphosis, with the state authorities issuing work orders for ten vessels. Few vessels can carry a hundred passengers and few others 200 passengers, with two excessive pace passenger vessels and 22 mechanised boats.

The new vessels will change the prevailing decaying and highly polluting ones that put thousands of passengers in danger. This is primary transfer towards the implementation of $105.35 million (Rs 714.7 crore) inland water transport infrastructure augmentation undertaking inked between the Government of West Bengal and World Bank (WB). According to the WB report, the current ferry system caters to lower than 2 per cent of passenger visitors and a small portion of the freight motion.

The work order, priced at Rs 54 crore, will change how people are being ferried across the Hooghly. The vessels will probably be fashionable, fuel-efficient and more environment-friendly. There will also be an improvement in the design of vessels, which will guarantee night time navigation on probably the most hazardous and congested routes, mentioned an official of the state transport division.