Belur Math-Kutighat launch service to start in Dec

Launch service between Belur Math and Kutighat on river Hooghly would start from December.

According to the sources in the state Transport department, the initiative has been taken to provide a better facility to hundreds of people visiting Belur Math. This is a part of the project that the Transport department has taken up to improve the inland waterways.

Introduction of the launch service between the two transit points will not only help tourists visiting Belur Math, but will also benefit hundreds of local people who need to cross the river on motorised boats.

For the past few decades people had been crossing the river in motorised boats. Thus, it had been a longstanding demand to introduce launch service from Belur math to Kutighat that is situated in the opposite bank of the river.

At present, there is a launch service from Belur Math to Dakshineswar and tourists enjoy the ride on river Hooghly while heading towards Dakshineswar from Belur Math and vice versa. Launch service from both Dakshineswar and Belur Math is available at a gap of every half an hour. There is another existing launch route connecting Belur Math from Howrah via Baghbazar. Hundreds of people avail the service everyday to reach Howrah Station and at the same time many tourists avail it to reach Belur Math after reaching Howrah Station.

Additional launches were pressed into service to connect Belur Math during Durga Puja.

It is learnt that the state government is planning to introduce launch service to connect the transit points where people need to avail motorised boats to go across the river.

Moreover, smart card would also be introduced and by using it, a passenger can travel in a launch just like the Metro system. 

It may be mentioned that many jetties were lying in a dilapidated state and it was one of the reasons that led obstacle on the path of the development of the inland waterways.

Recently, almost all the jetties have been repaired and steps have been taken to initiate launch services between most of the transit points.