Kolkata: The state Transport department will introduce 15 electric vessels for gradual replacement of the highly polluting vessels that are in operation for a long time.
The vessels plying within Kolkata will have a capacity of 250 people while those operating in the city’s outskirts will have 100 seating arrangements.
Two catamaran-type vessels will be earmarked for tourism purposes having capacities of 75 and 150 people respectively. All the vessels will be equipped with generator facilities so that it continues to ply in case there is any hiccup in the electric system.
Presently 138 vessels are in operation among which 50 per cent that have been procured in the last 10 years are less polluting but the rest in the fleet that have been procured over the years from 1978 to 1990 are highly polluting.
The introduction of electric vessels is one of the parameters of the ‘Inland Water Transport and Modal Integration of Transport and Urban Upgradation’ project taken up by the state government.
The total cost of the project is Rs 1,021 crore out of which the World Bank Loan is around Rs 700 crore.
“For the old vessels that comprise 50 per cent of the running fleet the diesel which is a highly polluting fossil fuel channelizes into the water directly. For those vessels that have been procured post 2011, the bilge water that is emitted is stored in separate tanks in the vessels and the civic body collects the same and disposes it. We have already done a virtual workshop with the builders of electric vessels,” a senior official of state Transport department said.
The cost of manufacturing an electric vessel is nearly Rs 12 crore which is much higher than a fossil fuel-driven one that entails an expenditure of Rs 4 crore. However, the running cost will be negligible as it will involve only the charging cost.
The cost of operating a fossil fuel vessel is quite high and as per estimates Rs 1 to 1.5 lakh for each vessel will be saved every month once the switchover is complete. Around 30 -35 litres of diesel is required by each vessel involved in daily cross-ferry service.
The seating capacity in the fossil fuel vessels and the sound level in the passenger seating area is around 65 decibels.