GUWAHATI:
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced a slew of projects and services for the people of the state during a ceremony organised by the transport department at the IWT Ghat near Fancy Bazar, on May 13.
The projects aimed at improving river transportation system in the state, which are part of government initiative to boost the tourism sector, included the Guwahati Gateway Ghat (ferry terminal) to be built at a cost of Rs 289 crore opposite the multi-level car parking at Fancy Bazar, flagging off the two steel-made catamaran ships as part of the government’s plan to dedicate 20 such ships to the people of the state, and other transportation services and schemes.
Stating that bringing change in the transport sector has been the government’s top priority, he said that the services will go a long way in improving river transporation in the state that will in turn lead to the growth of the tourism sector.
“There are such state-of-the-art terminals for sea transportation in the country but this project (Guwahati Gateway Ghat) will be the first-of-its-kind terminal to be commissioned on a river system. To be completed by L&T within 24 months, this would ensure safe transportation of passengers in Guwahati and nearby ghats during all seasons,” Sarma said.
He revealed that the terminal will have all modern amenities such as cafes, canteen, ramp, etc, to give the passengers a pleasant experience.
He further said that the government will also construct small modular terminals at places such as Dhubri, Bahari, among others, which will go a long way in improving the river transport system between various districts of the state.
Flagging off the two steel-made catamaran ships that are aimed at overhauling of the river transport system, Sarma exuded confidence that these ships, equipped with the latest technologies will be able to significantly reduce river accidents and mishaps, while at the same time connecting the various ghats of the state with one another.
“These (catamaran ships) are equipped with high-tech navigational gadgets and are designed so as to enable them to ply at the low draft. These ships, coupled with initiatives such as the (Guwahati) Gateway Terminal will be a huge boost to the tourism sector in the state. I am confident our river transport system will be a witness to more such revolutionary changes in days to come,” the Chief Minister said. “It is a widely accepted fact now that modern transport system is a sine qua non for a robust tourism industry,” Sarma added.
Besides the above initiatives, Sarma also launched 12 Aadhar-based contactless services for the people and another initiative called “CM-Trans”, both related to the transport department. Speaking on these, he exuded confidence these initiatives will contribute greatly to the elimination of middlemen from district transport offices.
“With the 12 online services (of transport department) and “CM-Trans” launched today, I am confident the menace of middlemen from the district transport offices will be dealt a severe blow. Along with greater transparency, these services will ensure efficiency in service delivery by the (transport) department,” Sarma said while deliberating on the services.
Notably, the “CM-Trans”, developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC), is an automated system designed to allocate and disperse workloads between district transport offices with the aim of ensuring efficiency in service delivery.
This apart, with the increasing number of services delivered through efficiency, it would also be a source of higher revenue earnings for the government, he informed.
The CM also flagged off 12 interceptor vehicles for the transport department during the event.
In addition to that, Sarma also ceremonially handed over driving licenses to beneficiaries of the “Skill Training in Driving For 50 Youths Per LAC” scheme.
He also revealed plans to launch a ropeway service from Khanapara to Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport. “Preliminary survey and research for this (the ropeway project) has been done. If all goes well, we will soon go ahead with this project.”
Lauding the chief minister for his visionary guidance in leading the transport department to newer heights, Transport minister Chandra Mohan Patowary addressing the gathering said, “I would like to express my gratitude to the chief minister for guiding us with his able leadership in bringing about a revolution in the transport sector. As part of that revolution, the e-ticketing system in IWT has been able to generate Rs 2.5 crores of earnings. Moreover, a total of 7 lakh people last year benefited from the online services being provided by the transport department.”
The event, apart from the chief minister and the transport minister, was also attended by MP Queen Ojha and senior officials of the government.