Construction work has started on building several new jetties and passenger terminals in Howrah to modernise the Ganga waterway. As part of this plan, many old jetty ghats in the Howrah district are being completely renovated, and new passenger terminals are also being constructed.
According to government sources, new passenger terminals are coming up at five important ghats along the Ganga, including Howrah. Construction work has already begun on modern terminals at Howrah, Shipping, Nazirganj, Chunchura and Panihati. The estimated cost of building these five terminals is around 225 crore rupees.
The target is to finish the work within the next 24 months. Government officials say that once these new terminals are ready, travelling on Kolkata’s Ganga waterway will become safer and more comfortable.
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Goods transport through the river route will also increase, which will help reduce pressure on the roads. On Wednesday, Howrah MLA Nandita Chowdhury visited the newly built Podra launch ghat. She was accompanied by Ajay Dey, the director of the Hooghly River Waterway Transport Cooperative Society. Officials of the cooperative society requested the MLA to keep the management of this ghat under their control. The MLA said she would inform the state government about this request and take necessary steps.
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Ajay Dey also said that the construction of a modern RCC jetty has started at Podra ghat in the Sankrail block of Howrah. Many years ago, a launch had sunk there, and the ghat had been closed since then. Now, plans have been made to bring it back into service. Members of the cooperative society said that once the new jetty is ready, daily travel will become easier for people, and the risk of accidents will go down. If regular ferry services start again, business and trade in the area will grow.
Officials from the state transport department said the new jetty at Podra ghat will add more value to the Ganga waterway network.
Under the West Bengal Inland Waterway Transport, Logistics & Special Development project, a modern passenger terminal is also being built at Nazirganj ghat in Howrah. The new terminal will have a waiting area for passengers, safe anchoring facilities, a new gangway-cum-pontoon, CCTV surveillance and proper lighting. It will also include all the facilities needed for running launches. Transport department officials claim that once the project is completed, river transport for thousands of people in Howrah and in the north and central Hooghly regions will become much easier. Tourism, small industries and goods transport will also benefit.
According to one official, this new project will start a new chapter in the region’s urban and suburban connectivity. With less pressure on roads and railways, the Ganga waterway could become one of the main ways people travel in the future.
