Jorhat, Sept. 16: The inland water transport (IWT) department will run the Neematighat (Jorhat)-Kamalabari ghat (Majuli) ferry service - the lifeline to the Brahmaputra island - from tomorrow in view of complaints of exorbitant fares charged by the current lessee (a private contractor).

Around 20 trips are made daily from Neematighat, the main gateway to the Brahmaputra island, to five different ghats of Majuli and vice versa carrying passengers and goods.

The Neemati-Kamalabari ghat water route (about 18km) is the busiest route as Kamalabari is the commercial hub of Majuli. As IWT has very few boats, the lessees are awarded contracts to run the ferry service by bidding.

For the past 10 years, passengers have been complaining to the IWT department and to the Majuli sub-divisional administration of lessees charging unreasonably high rates by not issuing tickets.

Student groups and other local organisations from time to time had been staging protests at the ghats over the issue. The administration had organised meetings to settle the matter, but it kept on resurfacing.

The IWT rate (fixed in 2010) for Neeamati-Kamalabari is Rs 15 per passenger, Rs 20 per quintal of goods, Rs 30 per for two-wheelers, Rs 706 for 4-wheelers and about Rs 1,000 for a heavy vehicle.

Majuli sub-divisional officer (civil) Ghanshyam Dass told The Telegraph today that the IWT top brass in Dispur has cancelled the temporary licence to the existing lessee running the boats on the Neematighat-Kamalabari route.

Dass, who assumed charge a few months back, said he had received several complaints of overcrowding and overcharging from passengers and had written to the IWT and Jorhat deputy commissioner S.V. Vasant.

"It is a good decision. IWT has decided to run the boat service itself. The complaints of over-charging by not issuing tickets and overcrowding will be taken care of," Dass said. He hoped the same would be extended to other routes gradually.

Dibrugarh-based IWT divisional executive engineer (in-charge) D. Baglari said the department had only three boats and hence private boats had to be hired and fuel had to be arranged daily to run the service.

"As we have no provision for sanctioning money for fuel there will be a problem, so I have written to higher-ups in Dispur to sanction the same. Till then the authorities under assistant executive engineer of Jorhat sub-division has been asked to manage some money to launch the service under direct IWT supervision.

IWT Jorhat sub-division assistant executive engineer Bimal Chandra Kakakti said private boats would be hired to run the service and though the revenue earned from the service is not enough to get the required fuel, the department will somehow manage till the government allots the funds. He said IWT would strictly see that tickets are issued and government-prescribed fares are charged from the passengers.

"We will try to streamline the system," Kakakti said.

In April, the Jorhat district administration carried out a drive at Neematighat against overloading of boats and charging exorbitant fares.