Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the first phase of the Rs 615 crore Ghogha-Dahej 'roll-on-roll-off' (Ro-Ro) ferry service between Ghogha in Saurashtra and Dahej in south Gujarat. He launched the service at a rally in Bhavnagar district's Ghogha town in the presence of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel.
The prime minister had called the ferry service his "dream project" while addressing a gathering at Gandhinagar on Monday.
"This is the first of its kind project not only in India but also in South-East Asia," Modi said at the rally which comes ahead of the Assembly polls in the state.
After the inauguration, PM will travel aboard the Ro-Ro ferry accompanied by school children.
Here are 10 important facts about the Ghogha-Dahej Ro-Ro ferry service:
1- The ferry will take passengers between Ghogha in Bhavnagar and Dahej in Bharuch district in the Gulf of Khambhat.
2- The ferry service distance will reduce the distance between Ghogha and Dahej from 310 kilometres by road to 31 kilometres.
3- The facility will also reduce travel time by at least five hours.
4- The idea of the ferry service was first conceived in early 1960s.
5- The foundation stone for current works was laid by Modi in 2012 when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
6- In the first phase, only passenger services would begin.
7- The ticket price on the ferry is Rs 600 per passenger and the journey would take nearly an hour.
8- In the second phase, light vehicles can also be carried aboard the ferries.
9- Official sources claim that the second phase will be commissioned by the end of January 2018.
10- In the final phase, the ferries would also have facility to carry trucks between the two regions.
