In a major boost to river tourism in the Brahmaputra, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma flagged off two state-of-art steel-built catamaran ships at the Inland Water Transport (IWT) ghat in Guwahati on Friday.

Each ship has capacity to carry 100 passengers and 50 motorcycles and has special features for divyangs, senior citizens, women and children.

Speaking at the occasion, chief minister Sarma said that the government is committed to improve river transport network and boost river tourism as well. He also said that online services introduced by the transport department have benefited around 7 lakh people in the past one year. Adding 12 more contactless services to the department portal, the government aims at benefitting 15 lakh more people.

Taking to twitter, Sarma said, “Ferry for all! Happy to have laid the foundation stone of Guwahati Gateway Ferry Terminal at IWT Ghat, Guwahati today. To be built at the cost of Rs 289 crore, it will have special facilities for specially abled, senior citizens, women and children.”

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