It may be recalled that on the advice of Deputy Speaker and Mayem MLA Anant Shet, the River Navigation Department had decided to reserve two ferry boats for two-wheelers and commuters and an equal number of ferries for four-wheelers and commuters.
The new ferry service was implemented on August 21 and 22, but the commuters, vehicle owners and ferry crew found it difficult to manage, as the boats had to wait at the ramp till they got full, thus increasing the crowd at Chorao and Ribandar. The department was forced to press in a fifth ferry boat from Panjim to control the situation.
Earlier, the four-wheelers used to wait in a queue for a long time, but under this new ferry service, the four-wheelers were at an advantage, while the two-wheeler riders had to struggle and commuters had to face severe hardships, as they were forced to wait for the ferry boat to get full.
Speaking to Herald, some commuters and ferry crew said the department should have trained the crew before implementing the new ferry service.
