Dibrugarh: The Nimatighat modular ferry terminal is likely to be completed in Nov, a month ahead of schedule.Transport minister Charan Boro announced this on Monday after inspecting the under-construction terminal on the Brahmaputra in Jorhat.Boro also reviewed other works under the World Bank-funded Assam Inland Water Transport Project (AIWTP), implemented by the Assam Inland Water Transport Development Society. He inspected ferry services and spoke to passengers and personnel about commuter facilities.The facility is among four modular ferry terminals being developed at Nimatighat, North Guwahati, Umananda and Aphalamukh at an estimated combined cost of Rs 136.703 crore. The Nimatighat terminal is intended to improve passenger facilities and safety on the Jorhat-Majuli ferry route.The project was scheduled for completion in Dec 2026, but workers indicated it could be ready a month earlier, Boro said.“The progress is going well. The workers involved in the project informed me that the project will be completed by Nov, earlier than its scheduled deadline in Dec,” Boro said.“We also discussed the necessary measures to further strengthen inland water transport infrastructure and ferry services,” he said.Boro also reviewed road-safety enforcement and the installation of speed-limiting devices (SLDs) and vehicle location tracking devices (VLTDs) in commercial vehicles.Expressing concern over inadequate compliance with SLD requirements, he said, “We will restart measures for strict implementation of Speed Limiting Devices on commercial vehicles.”He said VLTDs would help agencies track stolen commercial vehicles and respond to emergencies. Panic buttons fitted to the devices could transmit a vehicle’s location to the authorities and facilitate rescue operations.“We are making efforts to immediately implement SLD and VLTD for commercial vehicles,” Boro said.The minister said around 4,000 road-offence cases had been registered in Jorhat against a target of 3,000, adding that govt would push for stricter compliance with road-safety rules.
