TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: This ferry service across River Sal is the only mode of transport, linking historical Assolna village to coastal Cavelossim-Mobor belt over the years.
But as former PWD Minister Churchill Alemao’s dream Assolna-Cavelossim bridge over river Sal is getting the final touches before its commissioning, questions have come to the fore over the very fate of the ferry service ~ which helped ferry villagers and tourists across the river and virtually bring the two villages separated by River Sal closer to each other.
When Herald posed the query to the Captain of Ports, Capt James Braganza, he said the ferry service may be discontinued as and when the bridge is thrown open for traffic. He, however, hastened to add that a final call will be taken by the government on the ferry service.
“The ferry service on the Assolna-Cavelossim route may be discontinued once the bridge is commissioned for traffic. The ferry service may not be required when the bridge takes concrete shape. But the government will take a final call”, remarked Capt Braganza.
A villager from Assolna, Adv Cleofato Coutinho said that running the ferry service when there’s a bridge for traffic will amount to criminal waste of public money. “People may say the bridge was not required given the limited traffic between the two villages. But after the bridge becomes a reality, still running the ferry service between the two points would be a criminal wastage”, he added.
The ferry service linking Assolna and Cavelossim has been the only mode of transport for villagers on either side of the river Sal for decades now.
It had helped the youth from the hinterland to cross over to the coastal belt to cash in on the openings in the tourism industry.
Besides, the service had come in handy for tourists and tour operators alike for easy and quick transportation of
the tourists to their destinations.
The ferry service had its share of ups and down too since the government started the service years ago. The ferry running aground or stranded in the river owing to technical snags are complaints not uncommon to hear from the
daily commuters.
