GHOGHA, Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the first phase of the roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) ferry service connecting Saurashtra with south Gujarat, amid a political row over the delay in announcement of poll dates for the state.
While launching his “dream project”, Modi blamed the previous UPA government for delaying the venture by creating hurdles in the name of environment.
Modi, who is visiting the state for the third time this month, also took the first trip in the ferry from Ghogha to Dahej with 100 visually-impaired children from Bhavnagar.
“This is the first of its kind project not only in India, but also in South-East Asia,” Modi said at a rally here.
“This is also a unique project as the state government has used the latest technology to make this ferry service possible,” said Modi, who had earlier termed it his “dream project”.
“I had laid the foundation stone for the project in 2012, but for doing work in the ocean, you had to remain dependent on the central government then. There were such people in the central government that they had put a ban on development from Vapi to Mandvi in Kutch along coastal Gujarat,” he said.
“All over, industries were threatened to be closed down in the name of environment. I know how many challenges I had faced for the development of Gujarat,” he said attacking the Congress-led UPA government.
Hailing the project as a “precious gift to the country from Ghogha”, Modi blamed the erstwhile UPA government for ignoring the shipping and port sector.
“In the past decades, shipping and port sectors were ignored. To modernize the sector, the government has begun Sagarmala program…,” Modi said.
“Had they (the Congress-led UPA government) understood the power of the ocean, the people in this region would not have been forced to leave their homes for work in other cities,” he said.
The first phase of the project connects Ghogha of Bhavnagar district in Saurashtra region to Dahej of Bharuch district in south Gujarat.
In the first phase which was inaugurated by Modi, only passengers can travel, while in the second phase which will start after two months, light vehicles such as cars can be ferried. While in the third phase, heavy vehicles such as trucks can also be taken in the ferry.
Modi said the project will be extended up to Hazira in Surat district, and similar projects will also be launched in the Gulf of Kutch.
“The ferry can take more than 100 trucks at one time, and with such a huge number of vehicles going off the road, it will impact the road connecting Delhi and Mumbai. The number of vehicles on Gujarat’s industrialized zone will reduce, the speed of vehicles will increase and this will take the economic system in top gear,” Modi said.
The service reduces the distance between the two towns from 310 km by road to 30 km, which can be covered in one hour. To start with, two ships -M V Jay Sophia and Island Jed – can take 300 and 239 passengers, including crew members respectively, the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) said.-PTI
