Panaji (Goa): The Solar Ferry Boats will soon add to the charm of transport service to the commuters across the rivers that already has nearly 40 traditional ferry boats operational since over seven decades. River Navigation Minister Ramkrishna Dhavalikar has proposed to start solar-powered passenger boats with two routes chosen for trial run.  

“The government plans to introduce the boat on trial basis from Savordem to Panaji via Shiroda and Aldona to Panjim routes. The process has already started and it will be ready in next six months while another six months would be required to construct these vessels,” he told a section of the media in Goa after studying the concept in Kochi where such boats are a hit. 

The solar boats having minimal sound and exhaust pollution, is expected to cost reasonable even as economic feasibility is being worked on.  What’s interesting is that passengers in Goa travel free of coast, albeit vehicles are charged minimum fees; the solar boats in Kochi have tariffs.

The Goa government will soon release advertisement seeking “Expression of Interest” to construct the ferry boats, however, Dhavalikar said they are yet to take the call on whether to run the services on Public Private Partnership basis. 

Goa is the only state to run the unique traditional ferry boat service since Portuguese-era at 20 ferry routes all over Goa. On an average, about 2.5 lakh commuters and 18000 vehicles use the ferry service, which has been declared as public utility service. 

The traditional passenger service, which have been named after Goa’s villages and natural habitat, have served as a good alternative mode of transport considering increasing traffic on the roads. It has also caught the attention of every visitor to the State and has featured in a number of regional and Bollywood films. Over the recent years the number of local and foreign visitors visiting Goa has been continuously increasing and the pressure on infrastructural facilities in has thus increased significantly. Besides the existing routes, the popular ferry service from Panaji to Vasco has been identified as one of the viable development options for development of water ways. With the proposed introduction of ferry boats, the State can expect further simplifying vehicular pressure on the roads as well as attract more tourists.