Good news comes Maharashtra’s way as the first Roll on-Roll off (Ro-Ro) service from Mumbai to Alibaug ran on Thursday at 9.15 am since its operations were halted in March due to the pandemic-induced lockdown.
It will now run for 11 days till August 30.
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A Ro-Ro service can take two-wheelers and four-wheelers onboard a ship. Another bonus point to it is that people can also take their pets on it. The ferry can hold 145 vehicles at once.
The ferry went from Bhaucha Dhakka to Mandwa village in Alibaug and it was the first commerical ship to run inter-district in Maharashtra ever since the lockdown was set in place in March. During the lockdown period, ships were running to bring back stranded Indians.
The ship can carry 900 passengers, however, has limited its capacity to carry only 300 given the present scenario. On August 20, the ship carried around 200 passengers till Mandwa and people were requested to maintain social distancing norms while onboard.
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“Passengers were thermally screened before they entered the ship. They had to download Aarogya Setu application on their mobile phones. Only one trip to and fro between Bhaucha Dhakka and Alibaug has been allowed in a day,” an official from Maharashtra Maritime Board said, reported Times Now.
Mostly, it was Alibaug locals who were travelling and the ship managed to reach Mandwa from Bhaucha Dhakka in almost an hour.
Times Now
The basic fare for a one-way service is Rs 300 per head. If someone wants to take their vehicles onboard, the fare is Rs 200 for a two-wheeler and varies between Rs 800- Rs 1,200 for four-wheelers depending on their size and type.
Times Now
Alibaug is a neighbouring district of Mumbai and it usually takes five hours to get there by road. With the help of Ro-Ro, people can commute between the two districts along with their vehicles in just an hour.