PM Modi inaugurated a Ro-Pax ferry service on Sunday (Archive)
Ahmedabad:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday rebuked the owner of a Bhavnagar transportation company in Gujarat for employing only eight drivers for his six trucks, instead of the required number of 12.
Overworked drivers can cause accidents, Prime Minister Modi said during an interaction with people via video conference before launching the Ro-Pax ferry service between Hazira in Surat and Ghogha in Bhavnagar.
Asif Solanki, involved in the transport business and based in Bhavnagar, told Prime Minister Modi during the interaction that he will benefit greatly from the new ferry service as it will reduce travel time and distance and his drivers will also rest. when the ferry carries trucks. by sea route.
Prime Minister Modi asked him how many drivers he has hired, to which Solanki replied that he has eight drivers.
The prime minister also asked him how many trucks he has, to which the carrier replied six.
“This is not fair, you must employ 12 drivers for six trucks. It requires so much work from the drivers, this should not be done,” said Prime Minister Modi.
Solanki said that due to the ferry service he would not need any more drivers, to which PM Modi replied that the ferry service starts from today.
“The point is that when drivers are overworked, they fall asleep while driving, which can cause accidents and what they have earned will disappear with that accident,” said Prime Minister Modi and took Solanki’s promise that he will employ more drivers.
On a lighter note, Prime Minister Modi also said that the income tax department will not attack Solanki if he reveals his plan to buy more trucks.
The comment came after the carrier smiled when the prime minister asked him if he plans to buy more trucks.
During the video conference, PM Modi interacted with people from Surat and Bhavnagar about how their life will be affected by the introduction of the new Ro-Pax ferry service.
The service will reduce the distance by road from 375 km between Bhavnagar and Surat to 90 km by sea route and travel time from 10 to 12 hours to about four hours, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
It will save time and fuel and boost the economy and religious tourism in the Saurashtra region of the state, according to the statement.
The three-decker Ro-Pax ferry vessel “Voyage Symphony” connecting Hazira in South Gujarat’s Surat district and Ghogha in Saurashtra’s Bhavnagar has a cargo capacity of 30 trucks, 100 passenger cars and 500 passengers plus 34 crew and hospitality staff said. .
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
.
