Water relief! Alibaug trippers make roll on-roll off ferry a roaring success

MUMBAI: A coastal city that has long suffered the absence of reliable water transport just received a world class intervention. Starting last week, Mumbaikars desperate to get out of the city celebrated the launch of the roll on-roll off (RoRo) ship that goes from Mumbai’s Ferry Wharf to Mandwa jetty.
The brand new bright crimson vessel from Greece, which takes just under an hour to cross the harbour, accommodates 500 passengers (at Rs 300 per head) and 140 vehicles (price varies depending on size).The service started as a Ganpati special with two trips a day, but has gone up to four trips on some days to accommodate excess demand. “Over the next few months, we hope to have even more daily trips and the prices are also likely to change,” says Aashim Mongia, director of M2M Ferries that runs the boat. A 12-member crew is headed by Captain Rajeev Yadav who operates RoRos all over the world. “After this, ideally, they will open up water transportation on both sides of the island city.”

Unlike other island cities like Hong Kong and New York, Mumbai’s reliance on ground transport remains a question mark that no one seems to be able to answer.
Many concerned commuters question why the hovercraft project which did a guest appearance in the late eighties, from Navi Mumbai to Nariman Point, disappeared into thin air.
Even proposals for water transport to mainland India from the city have been hovering for years, but remained bogged in the bureaucracy of three government bodies—the Maharashtra Maritime Board, the Bombay Port Trust, and the Navy—which are not always in the same boat. The main hiccup was a breakwater at Mandwa, which would enable the vessel to travel even during the monsoon. Thus far, people travelling between Alibaug from Mumbai have had to make do with horrifyingly poor safety while boarding and alighting the boats on either side, sometimes even being forced to jump from one boat onto another due to an absence of basic boardwalks and jetties.
“We are very happy that the RoRo has started functioning,” says Sanjay Bhatia who, as chairman of the Bombay Port Trust, reimagined and initiated several big changes along the eastern waterfront. People can now hop onto cruise liners which would take them to Goa and also international destinations. While welcoming these maritime proposals, city planners are concerned that the port trust’s non-marine land development plan, which could open up more than 1,000 acres, are not being shared adequately with the public.
Meanwhile, folk of all ages are delighted to avail of the high seas, which currently seem to be a shade bluer because of the absence of polluting ships. Last weekend, 10-year-old Bheeni Vig from Goregaon accompanied her father and his Ducati Diavel superbike on the RoRo for a day trip to ride along the lush green Alibaug roads. “The ferry soared through the triumphant blue waters, giving me just enough time to relish my aesthetic surroundings,” says the young student, clad in her jacket and knee-pads. “I hope I can do this again.”