By Dominick Rodrigues 

Mumbai: The Island city of Mumbai may soon be witnessing Water taxis and ROPAX Ferries with numerous routes criss-crossing its waterways as part of its transportation in the wake of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways focus in this direction.
To promote eco-friendly waterways transportation and reduce the traffic load of crowded Mumbai city roads, 4 new routes for ROPAXferry services and 12 new routes of Water Taxi are planned to be operational by December, 2021. 

Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State (I/C) for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, chaired a meeting recently to review the Urban Water Transportation projects for Mumbai, Maharashtra. Senior Officials of the Ministry, Chairperson of Mumbai Port and officials of Maharashtra Maritime Board and other stakeholders were present in the meeting. 

 Describing operationalization of new waterways routes as a big step towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of harnessing waterways and integrating them with the economic development of the country, Mandaviya said  this will open up new opportunities and avenues to create an ecosystem and network of such ROPAX services and Water Taxi services at numerous other routes in all coastal states. 

 Currently, ROPAX ((roll-on/roll-off passenger) service from Bhaucha Dhakka (Ferry Wharf) to Mandwa (Alibag) is successfully operating by reducing the road journey from 110 kms to about 18 km through these waterways, thereby dropping travel time of daily commuters from about 3-4 hours to merely one hour. Following huge benefits reaped in this ferry service, similar services are planned to be operational at various other routes in Mumbai.  

 Opening up of 4 new routes of ROPAX Ferries and 12 routes of Water taxis is expected to prove a big boon for daily commuters of Mumbai as it will result in a pollution-free, peaceful and time-saving journey while also reducing the travel cost and carbon footprint significantly. It would also cater to the requirements of increasing number of tourists and commuters at various stretches of Mumbai city.