• Source:JND

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a state-of-the-art Electric Catamaran in Kolkata, marking a significant step towards clean and sustainable inland water transport. The vessel is one of six Electric Catamarans being indigenously built by Cochin Shipyard Ltd for deployment on India’s inland waterways.

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Kolkata Electric Boat Services: Details

  • The new electric boat service can accommodate up to 50 passengers per trip.

  • This new service will primarily ferry people across the Hoogly and also support tourism across the Ganga (Hooghly) in Kolkata. 

  • Coming to the vessel, the boat will use a lithium-titanate battery to power itself.

  • It can operate in a fully electric, zero-emission mode for short urban rides.

  • For longer rides, the vessel can switch to fuel mode to operate for extended time periods. 

  • The vessels have been engineered for smooth navigation in riverine conditions, offering low noise levels, reduced vibration and improved passenger comfort. 

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What Are Electric Catamaran?

Electric catamarans are steamers built with two hulls that run mainly on electric motors instead of diesel engines. The twin-hull design makes them more stable and gives extra deck space, which is often used to install large solar panels that help recharge the vessel’s batteries.

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PM Modi’s Tour 

  • PM Modi will also perform the bhoomi pujan for the Kaziranga elevated corridor project, a Rs 6,950-crore highway which features a 35-km elevated wildlife section. 

  • He will also flag off two new Amrit Bharat Express trains at Kaliabor in Nagaon.

  • Additionally, PM Modi will virtually launch four Amrit Bharat Express services connecting New Jalpaiguri with Nagercoil and Tiruchirappalli, and Alipurduar with SMVT Bengaluru and Mumbai (Panvel).

  • He will also inaugurate two new LHB-coach train services- the Radhikapur-SMVT Bengaluru Express and the Balurghat-SMVT Bengaluru Express.

  • The prime minister will lay the foundation for key road and rail infrastructure projects, including the rehabilitation and expansion of the Dhupguri-Falakata section of the NH-31D. The expressway is expected to improve road transportation in North Bengal. 

  • PM Modi’s Bengal and Assam tour will end with the flagging off of two Amrit Bharat Express trains: the Guwahati (Kamakhya)-Rohtak service and the Dibrugarh-Lucknow (Gomti Nagar) service.


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