To reduce congestion, more RORO services on River Ganga

Kolkata: The state Transport department will come up with more RORO services on River Ganga with the aim to reduce traffic congestion, boost both business and trade and also generate jobs. The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCC&I) that was entrusted with the task of conducting a study and submit recommendations about the riverine routes for such services have already submitted a detailed report to the department.

"We are examining the report along with the recommendations and will implement it following proper procedures," a senior official of the West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) said.

The WBTC wants to have RORO services for crossover of the river at every 30 km along the entire 560 km stretch of the Ganges from Farakka to Sagar Islands.

There are only eight bridges in the entire stretch and as a result of this inadequate and unequal distribution of bridges, there is heavy traffic and pressure on the roads.

Roll-On Roll-Off (RORO) is a service on waterways wherein a truck or container carrying cargo is loaded or "rolled on" the vessel at the bank of the river/sea and is transported to the other side of the water channel where it is unloaded or "rolled off" the vessel.

The study by the Chamber involved field survey of eight districts identifying 10 suitable RORO points. It was divided into several industrial zones that included Haldia Industrial Zone, Kharagpur Industrial Zone, Hooghly and East Burdwan — Agriculture and Industrial Zone, Howrah Industrial Zone and Durgapur-Asansol Industrial Zone.

The Chamber has proposed RORO services at Geonkhali in East Midnapore connecting Noorpur on the opposite side, located in South 24-Parganas near Diamond Harbour.

Kharagpur Industrial Zone to Geonkhali is near about 115 km and using this proposed RORO services, products from Kharagpur Industrial Zone can easily be transported to South 24-Parganas avoiding the traffic of Kolkata and highly congested Diamond Harbour Road.

The Chamber also recommended Tribeni-Kalyani RORO service that will connect Hooghly and East Burdwan agricultural and industrial zone to North 24-Parganas, Nadia district and part of greater Kolkata.

The study further proposed three RORO points in Howrah that would cater to the entire Howrah Industrial Region and connect Kolkata and South 24-Parganas with Howrah using waterways. Bauria (Howrah) — Budge Budge (South 24-Parganas), Panchpara (Howrah) — Garden Reach Jetty (Kolkata) and Shalimar (Howrah) — Garden Reach Jetty (Kolkata) have been recommended.

In connection with Durgapur-Asansol zone, RORO services have been suggested at Guptipara-Shantipur, Baidyabati-North Barrackpore and Tribeni-Kalyani.

"The most important aspect of the study is the reduction in cost while ferrying cargo via RORO along the waterways. For a truck moving on the road, the expenses are Rs 3 per tonne per km, movement in Railways incurs an expense of Rs 1 per tonne per km while that in waterways will be 30 paisa per ton per km.

"Moreover, as RORO services will be round-the-clock time for carrying can be reduced by 25 percent," a senior official of the Chamber involved in the study said.