Flagged off by PM Narendra Modi, Ro-Ro ferry service waits for approvals

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Ro-Ro ferry service between Ghogha and Dahej, in Bhavnagar, Sunday. (PTI Photo)

The Ghogha-Dahej roll-on roll-off ferry service failed make its first commercial trip on Tuesday as the operator continued to wait for some “technical approvals”, despite the government’s announcement that it would be open to public from Tuesday onward. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had formally launched the service on Sunday.

Though the operator said it expects to roll out the service on Thursday after getting due approvals, sources in the consortium, which has been awarded contract by the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) for operating the ro-ro ferry service, said it will be open to public only from November 1.

The Gujarat government had issued advertisement in newspapers on October 20, announcing that the ferry service will be open to public from Tuesday onward.

Though, the service did not start for general public, the ferry made a trip from Dahej to Ghogha and back, but it was a joyride for passengers.

“Around 60 tickets (one ticket allowed multiple passengers) were booked on the spot at Dahej. There was a request for 35 more, but we had to turn it down.We had around 170 passengers and 62 guests on board. The guests were mostly family members of our staff. The ferry departed from Dahej at 4.10 pm and reached Ghogha in an hour, and returned to Dahej at around 7.15 pm. It was a joyride for passengers also,” said Chetan Contractor, chairman of Detox Group. Detox Group’s company Saurashtra Enviro Projects Private Limited is a partner in the consortium operating the service.

However, the sources in the consortium claimed that around 125 people boarded the ferry on Tuesday, and they all were family members, relatives and friends of the four directors of the consortium.

While no ticket window was operational at Ghogha terminal, website of Indigo Seaways, another company of Detox Group, did not support online ticket booking.

“Some technical approvals are still awaited. Right now it (the ferry) is on international flag. We are converting it into Indian flag… We should get it converted by end of this week. We have also taken down our ticket-booking website as we are revising fares after suggestions from the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister. We are confident of running the first commercial trip on October 26 at 9 am from Dahej,” Contractor told The Indian Express.

The operator had earlier fixed Rs 850 as one-way fair, including pick-up and drop facilities by bus from Bhavnagar and Surat, and Rs 500 for the ferry ride only. Contractor said that those rates have now been revised to Rs 750 and Rs 550, respectively.

He added that the ferry will make two round trips per day. It will depart from Dahej at 9 am and the return journey will begin from Ghogha at 11 am. Similarly, the ferry will depart from Dahej at 3 pm for its second trip and leave Ghogha at 5 pm for its return journey.