Government to invest Rs 1,900 cr on 45 Ro-Ro ferry projects

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways are financially supporting 45 roll-on-roll-off (Ro-Ro) ferry projects with a total cost of Rs 1,900 crore. The ministry has operationalised the roll-on-roll-off passenger (Ro-Pax) ferry service between Gujarat's Ghogha-Hazira and Maharashtra's Mumbai-Mandwa. These services have transported over 7 lakh passengers and 1.5 lakh vehicles, contributing to a clean environment and public welfare. In view of the success of these projects and high demand and potential, additional projects are planned at Muldwarka and Pipavav in Gujarat and Veldur, Ghodbunder, Vasai, Rewas, Manori, Kashid, and JN Port in Maharashtra. The ministry has designed a draft of Guidelines for Operationalisation of Ro-Ro and Ro-Pax ferry services along the coast of India' after including the preliminary inputs received from the stakeholders. These guidelines would homogenise and streamline the development and operations of ferry services, along with facilitating ease of doing business by eradicating disagreements, and unnecessary delays and introducing digital interventions at the customer interface, the statement stated. The guidelines will also support state and UT governments and Port authorities in the execution of such projects by standardisation of procedures, it said. Image Source Also read: Govt identifies 9 high-impact infra projects under Gati Shakti