The RO-RO ferry service launched with fanfare by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 22, 2017, in Gujarat will be suspended for about a fortnight from January 5, 2018, official sources said Friday. The project that bridges the Gulf of Khambhat by linking Gogha in Bhavnagar to Dahej in Bharuch district will be suspended to remove and replace an existing walk-way with a linkspan at Gogha. Currently, only passengers can use the ferry and after installation of the linkspan, the service will be able to transport vehicles as well. "The ferry service presently is available for movement of only passengers, as the massive structure of linkspan (96 meters * 7.5 meters), weighing about 820 tons is yet to be installed at Gogha, while it was already installed at Dahej," stated an official release from the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB). The ferry service was thrown open just before the state assembly elections were announced in Gujarat. "The entire operation is going to take about 15 days and therefore, GMB has decided to temporarily suspend the operations from January 5-20, 2018. The ferry operations are planned to be resumed by January 21. After the installation, the ferry service along with facility for transporting passengers, cars, buses and trucks will be started," the release added. After the commencement of the RO-RO service, more than 21000 passengers have used the facility and travelled across the Gulf of Khambhat on the two vessels that operate daily in four schedules between Dahej and Gogha.
