IN TROUBLED WATERS: A jetty on the Chitpur-Keshtopur ferry route. A Telegraph picture

The Chitpur-Keshtopur ferry has failed to attract a single passenger on several days in the past four months. Not surprising, given that the vessels often do not ply because of inadequate water depth.

The service, launched with fanfare in September 2006 at a cost of Rs 20 crore, took a hit after the water level in the canal dropped this winter.

“The launches often get stuck in the slush. Special boats had to be sent to rescue the passengers. No wonder the jetty remains empty throughout the day,” said a traffic constable posted near Chitpur Lockgate.

Only two of the five vessels that were pressed into service — MV Padmavati and MV Aparajita — are used now and they, too, remain anchored to the jetty. With hardly any passengers to ferry, the crew spends time playing cards.

“It is impossible to run the launches in the shallow water. The water must be at least five ft deep for the launches to ply. But the depth of water in several places is hardly three ft,” said a crew member.

Attempts to run the vessels in shallow water leads to other problems. “I have got a skin disease from trying to push vessels stuck in the slush. Unless the bed is cleared and more water is injected into the canal, navigation is impossible,” said a sareng.

“The passenger count was average between July and November last year, but fell drastically after that. The six-km canal is heavily silted and the lockgates are in need of renovation,” said Lagandev Singh, the chairman of Hooghly Nadi Jalpath Paribahan Samabaya Samiti, a WBSTC wing that runs the launches.

The irrigation department is not willing to take the responsibility. Irrigation minister Subhas Naskar said: “It is Hidco’s initiative. They are supplying the funds. We are only working on their behalf.”

Sadhan Kumar Biswas, the principal adviser to the Hidco chairman, said: “We always thought of the ferry as an add-on service. Once we started the service, it’s the WBSTC’s duty to keep it running.”

Hidco chairman and state housing minister Goutam Deb said: “A ferry service from Chitpur to Howrah and jetties along the Hooghly will be started. We are also planning to set up a permanent dredger at the Chitpur-Keshtopur canal to de-silt it.”