Boat manufacturers to get full support from state to set up units

The state government will be providing all possible support to boat manufacturers from other states to build standardised, safe and robust passenger boats which will replace the existing fleet of around 15,000 unauthorised semi-mechanised boats in the state, stated the state Transport minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday.

He was addressing a programme of the Stake Holders Consultation on Sustainable Ferry Transport organised by the Transport department in collaboration with FICCI to encourage manufacturers from Bengal and other states to build safe, robust and low cost boats in the state. The state Transport department had identified that there are around 15,000 semi-mechanised boats that are operational at present in the state and to ensure river safety, the necessity of replacing the semi-mechanised boats with standardised ones was felt after the incidents of Telenipara jetty collapse and Kalna boat capsize. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had also announced a financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh under "Jalodhara" scheme either to convert a semi-mechanised boat to a mechanised one or to buy a standardised one.

In Tuesday's programme, 11 boat manufacturing companies from Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Assam including Mahindra Marine participated and gave their suggestions in developing a design to manufacture standardised safe and robust boats to ensure river safety.

Adhikari said: "Bengal has the highest share of national waterways which is about 15.8 percent of the country and 16 national waterways. Thus, there is a huge potential for effective use of the waterways and development of good quality passenger boats, vessels and ro-ros, which is the need of the hour. The decision to revamp the ferry services in the inland water transport sector was taken after certain incidents and the Chief Minister has introduced the Jalodhara scheme to procure safe boats to avert accidents.

The implementation of the scheme will create a new milestone in the inland waterways sector and it will also create a huge business opportunity as 15,000 semi-mechanised boats are currently operating in the state. Several well known boat manufacturers participated in Tuesday's discussion and I would like to request them to come to Bengal. The state government will be giving all types of cooperation and support including land on river banks to set up your boat manufacturing unit."

Alapan Bandyopadhyay, Principal Secretary of the Transport department, said: "Our team led by the director of Inland Waterways Tapan Rudra has prepared some drawings and models of boats with different carrying capacities ranging from 20 to 60. The boats could be made either of wood, fibre or steel. The design and mechanical specification of the standardised boats will be finalised in the next two to three weeks keeping the suggestions of the stakeholders in mind and following consultation with Indian Register of Shipping, the final design will be circulated in public domain."

"We expect that we will be able to prepare a robust platform for your (stakeholders) participation primarily for manufacturing point of view and franchise within a month," he said, adding that some of the stakeholders from other states and Bengal as well may open big time manufacturing capacity in the state while some from the state have also shown interest to operate as franchise of West Bengal Transport Corporation. The operators from Bengal have shown interest in taking franchise to operate boats but the last person, who had been operating the vessel till date, cannot be removed.