Panaji: With all the requisite permissions coming in, the daily ferry service from Baina beach in Vasco to Dona Paula is expected to commence operations from October, government sources said.The move is part of the state government's initiative to introduce new modes of public transport through an attempt to connect the rivers Mandovi and Zuari through a ferry service.With the Captain of Ports (CoP) department giving the necessary approvals, Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) has said that the long-awaited ferry service would start in October 2017. "We have got the CRZ clearance. Captain of Ports has given the NOCs required to use the jetty at Dona Paula and Panaji. All permissions are in place, but we are waiting for the monsoon to get over," MPT chairman I Jeyakumar confirmed to TOI. MPT has allocated 1,500sqm on Baina beach and awarded the contract to operate the ferry service to Mumbai-based Drishti Marine Solutions Pvt Ltd, which will also construct passenger facilities and ticketing counters for the project."The state government is exploring the option of intra-state inland waterways public transport connecting Mandovi and Zuari," said CoP James Braganza."The boat service will be for commuters and for tourists and it will be expanded over the next two years," an official aware of the development said., while speaking at a round table discussion on Shipping Industry: An Economic Enhancer for International Trade.The meeting was organized at EDC house by World Trade Centre Goa, and World Trade Centre (WTC) Mumbai."The boat service will be for commuters and for tourists and will connect Britona, Aldona, Corjuem, Old Goa, Panaji and Ribandar on the Mandovi River Cortalim, Durbhat and Baina. That is the plan and will come up in the next two years," an official aware of the developments said.The project will be taken up phase-wise, with the Vasco to Panaji ferry commencing first, which will also serve to test the waters. The service will be expanded over a two-year period.Sources also confirmed that the state government had prepared a detailed project report to construct nine fixed jetties in the state under the Sagarmala project and four floating jetties. "Not much work has been done in the state under Sagarmala, but we hope to revive things and the tripartite MoU between MPT, Goa government and the Inland Waterways Authority of India could be signed in a month," a government official said.

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