"After we cancelled the appointment of the previous operator, he approached the court challenging our decision, and the matter is pending there," said an MMB official.
While Gujarat's roll on, roll off (RoRo) services connecting Saurashtra with south-west Gujarat started in October, Maharashtra's first RoRo services between Bhaucha Dhakka in city's south and Mandwa near Alibaug will not be started this year owing to legal tussle between the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) and the RoRo operator.
The MMB had plans to start the RoRo services in April 2018 but it has been delayed ever since for over six months because of the appointed operator 'failing' to get the vessel for RoRo services from Greece. Due to delay over the same, MMB cancelled his appointment further initiating the process for appointing a new operator.
"After we cancelled the appointment of the previous operator, he approached the court challenging our decision, and the matter is pending there," said an MMB official.
The MMB official added, "We are very clear on our part that the cancellation of appointment was over the delay in getting a vessel from Greece for the RoRo services. However, due to the ongoing court case, we cannot officially appoint a new operator and start services. Hence, it looks tough to start it anytime by December, 2018, and we are aiming to start it by March 2019.'
The much-awaited RoRo services will be able to carry 350 passengers and 40 cars at a time. The time taken from Ferry Wharf also known as Bhaucha Dhakka to Mandwa will be around 30 minutes from where Alibaug is only 25 minutes away. However, the fare for travelling via RoRo is yet not known.
According to MMB officials, once the court case is concluded, whoever is appointed as operator will be given another 60 days for getting the vessel from a foreign country. After that, for another 30 days, trial runs will take place. After a period of around 3 months from the closure of the court case, RoRo services will be in a position to be launched.
Meanwhile, RoRo services is also expected to cut down distance for those travelling to Goa by road, considering the fact that vehicles can be transported from city to Mandwa. This will help those travelling to Alibaug, Goa and other places like Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg to reach much faster. In October 2018, Gujarat got its RoRo services between Ghogha near Bhavnagar in Gujarat and Dahej near Bharuch in south-west Gujarat. As a result of this, the distance of 360-kilometre between the two places got reduced to 31-kilometre via sea-route.
TRAVEL BENEFITS
- The much-awaited RoRo services will be able to carry 350 passengers and 40 cars at a time
- Time taken from Ferry Wharf to Mandwa will be reduced to 30 minutes
- MMB plans to start services by March 2019
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