JOAO SOUSA M
PANAJI: The Rassaim-Durbhat ferry route is one of the busiest ferry routes in the state. This route reduces the distance between Rassaim and Ponda by almost 8 km, and so is extensively used by the people  living in Vasco and surrounding areas, who work in the industrial estates in and around Ponda.

Even though the residents from Durbhat had made a demand for a bridge several years back, feasibility of a bridge there looks very bleak — considering the heavy traffic of barges across the Zuari River, the major hurdle would be the approach road for the bridge of 12 metres height.
However, with the bridge not feasible, the River Navigation Department needs to improve the ferry services, which are lacking in many departments.
The river crossing, which would normally take about 15 minutes, takes around an hour. Secondly, the ferry boats are poorly maintained. Old corroded ferry boats are being used on the route. When the route was visited, it was noticed that the body of the ferry boat that was plying had corroded, while the other ferry boat had broken down the previous evening.
The most dangerous aspect of the travel on this route is that the ferry boats here always carry crowd way beyond their permissible limits. The danger increases considering the heavy movement of barges throughout the day in the river, and the passengers on board the ferries are apprehensive of the same.
The passengers informed that overcrowded ferry boats have become the order of the day, more so during the peak hours.
A resident, Mr A Naik said frequent breakdowns are very common and added that River Navigation Department has neglected this route.
He said that the department could ease the pressure on the route by introducing better and quicker ferries.
The Adpai sarpanch, Mr Pramod Naik admitted that even though the people had asked for a bridge many years back, it is not feasible to build one because it would be difficult to built the approach road. He however said that the villagers have made a proposal for a parallel ferry boat from Adpai to Rassaim, which will reduce the distance considerably and that a file for building of the ramp is awaiting the approval of the River Navigation Department.
Mr Naik said considering the narrow roads, with no scope for further widening, the panchayat has made a proposal in the Regional Plan to construct a broad road along the river bank from Maruthi temple to the Durbhat ferry point, which will connect to the new road being built, connecting Undir and Agapur.
He said that once this road is completed, the village will have better accessibility, and just a couple of fast ferry boats will solve the problems faced by the residents.
Mr Naik further said that the ferry service has improved considerably over the last few months, more so due, due to the intervention of the Transport Minister, Mr Ramkrishna Dhavalikar, and even in case of a ferry breakdown, it is quickly replaced.
However, the ferry boat users have a different opinion about the ferry service.
Mr Vital Prabhu from Ponda said, “There is only one ferry boat and it takes close to one hour for it to reach from one end to the other end.”
Further he said, “During the peak hours, the rush is so much that the ferry boat gets crowded to the extent that people are left behind thus wasting a lot of time till it comes back.”
Mr Ratnadeep Naik from Margao, who uses the ferry boat to cross over said that atleast two ferry boats are required on this route as there is a mad rush, especially during the peak hours.
The ferry crossing saves the people alteast 8-10 km distance; hence it is important that the government improves
the ferry service.