Dibrugarh, July 5: After a gap of nearly two decades, the Assam Inland Water Transport department, in collaboration with the Inland Water Authority of India, will reintroduce cargo service on the Brahmaputra between Guwahati and Dibrugarh from the second week of July.
?Initially, the service will operate twice a month and we have been instructed to book goods from Dibrugarh and Nimatighat in Jorhat,? said commercial officer of Dibrugarh I. Rahman, who is overseeing the operation.
Cargo and passenger services on the Brahmaputra were a regular feature before Independence with British planters using the route to ferry their goods from Assam to Calcutta and outside the nation. It was discontinued after repeated earthquakes damaged the river channel. ?As it was not possible for the state government to bear the fuel cost and other expenses of the service on its own, it had sought the Centre?s help. The Centre responded positively to the request,? Rahman said.
The department is hoping that big business houses in the region will use the service to ferry their consignments, as the river route is cheaper than road or rail transport. The two vessels, introduced initially, can ferry 100 metric tonnes of cargo.
Both the Inland Waterways Authority of India and the Inland Water Transport department, Assam government, have joined hands for a fixed sailing schedule to promote cargo movement on the Brahmaputra.
While a fixed sailing schedule has been proposed between Dhubri and Guwahati, a similar system has already been finalised for the Guwahati-Dibrugarh route.
It has been estimated that during floods, the vessels will make two movements between Guwahati-Dhubri and Guwahati-Dibrugarh, while in lean season the same will make three round trips per month.
Officials said the scheme has been proposed because despite the government?s best efforts, the cargo volume moved through inland waterways is not picking up substantially.
The inland waterways authority will appoint a cargo agent who will look after the entire operation on its behalf, including the receipt and delivery of cargo, collection of revenue and charge the authority a percentage of the fare the client will pay for transportation.
The inland water transport department has already confirmed the availability of a few vessels, which have 330/390 horse power engine and consume 30 to 42 litres high speed diesel as fuel per hour.
The tariff for cargo transportation will be fixed by the inland waterways authority jointly with the private agency.