Sunderbans: Minister inspects construction work of RoRo jetties

Kolkata: State Transport minister Snehasis Chakraborty along with senior officials visited Gosaba and Minakhan to oversee construction work of RoRo (roll on/roll off) jetties for better connectivity of the small islands of Sunderbans through waterways.

“Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wants a robust water transport system in Sunderbans so local people can easily travel to the city for their needs and the tourists too can visit the islands in Sunderbans in their personal vehicles by crossing over on a RoRo vessel. Some of the RoRo jetties are expected to be completed by September,” said Chakraborty.

Construction of jetties for ferry services as well as RoRo jetties were undertaken in places like Patharpratima, Gosaba, Minakhan in Sunderbans. There are plans to construct three roro jetties at Sandeshkhali. In September 2023, the Transport department began infrastructure development work for commencing RoRo services to connect a dozen islands in Sunderbans which are inaccessible by four wheelers, including ambulances.

The only means of transport presently available are motor boats and ferry services. RoRos are also capable of transporting buses and trucks. This will be a big stride in boosting connectivity of these remote islands

A Transport department official said that the construction of bridges for connecting the islands involve huge investment and several permissions, including that of the Centre, which is a time consuming process.