The Guwahati Gateway Ghat Terminal will be India’s first modern river ferry terminal by December 2024, thanks to the Inland Water Transport (IWT) department’s expedited construction.
The World Bank is funding the construction of a river ferry terminal on the Brahmaputra at Fancy Bazar, opposite the multi-level car parking premises.
Ferry For All!
Happy to have laid the foundation stone of Guwahati Gateway Ferry Terminal at IWT Ghat, Guwahati today.
To be built at the cost of ₹289 cr, it will have special facilities for specially abled, senior citizens, women & children.@cmpatowary @oja_queen pic.twitter.com/VlURn1GWCE
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) May 13, 2022
When finished, the terminal will ensure the safe transportation of passengers in the capital city and nearby ghats throughout the year. The Rs 304 crore project promises to solve the IWT’s problems operating ferries during the monsoon when the Brahmaputra’s water level rises alarmingly.
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“The terminal will be equipped with all modern facilities,” said IWT (Assam) director Partha Pegu. It will not only provide a safe mode of transportation for passengers, but it will also eliminate the need to relocate ferries to safer locations/ghats during the monsoon season. When the water level rises, we usually move the ferries to safer ghats,” according to TOI.
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Pegu stated that the terminal will include a cafe, a canteen, ramps, a vehicle parking lot, and other amenities to provide passengers with a pleasant experience comparable to that of Singapore.
He also stated that the Centre is focusing on improving waterways connectivity, which is a low-cost mode of transportation, and that the Brahmaputra ferry terminal is a step in that direction.
The terminal will initially only be used for passenger ferries, but it will eventually be used for cruises as well. Pegu stated that four large ferries can be parked at the terminal at the same time.
In May, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma laid the groundwork for the ferry terminal’s construction. L&T GeoStructure, a Chennai-based construction engineering firm, is carrying out the project.
