Ferry services between Howrah and Kolkata, along with 15 other Hooghly river routes, were suspended indefinitely on Wednesday after workers stopped operations over unpaid Puja bonuses and salary arrears, creating a major public transport disruption ahead of Durga Puja.
The suspension began at 2pm and affects routes connecting Howrah and Kolkata, including Howrah-Chandpal Ghat and Ramakrishnapur-Chandpal Ghat. Services from Howrah to Armenian Ghat, Ahiritola, Shobhabazar and Bagbazar were also stopped, according to a report by Sangbad Pratidin – Kolkata.
Other affected routes include Nazirgunge-Metiabruz, Gadiara-Geonkhali, Nurpur and Bauria. The routes are served by around 15 small and large launches, which together carry approximately 15,000 passengers every day.
The workers are associated with the Hooghly River Water Transport Cooperative Society Limited. They said the organisation had not paid the annual Puja bonus this year, despite bonuses being provided to its permanent and temporary workforce in previous years. Workers also alleged that two months of salary had remained unpaid for five years.
Chandan Bhowmik, an employee at Nazirgunge ferry ghat, said the workers had repeatedly requested the authorities to release the bonus but had not received it. “This year, the authorities have not given us the Puja bonus. We appealed to the authorities several times, but did not receive it. Therefore, we were compelled to stop the ferry service during Puja,” he said, according to the report.
The timing of the stoppage is significant because the ferry network is used not only for daily commuting but also for movement between Howrah and Kolkata during the festival period. Passengers travelling by launch to visit Durga Puja installations may face longer journeys and added pressure on alternative road and rail connections if the suspension continues.
The disruption also affects river crossings that provide a direct link between neighbourhoods on opposite banks of the Hooghly. For regular passengers, the ferry services can reduce the need to travel to larger road bridges or interchange points, making the stoppage an immediate mobility issue rather than a festival-only inconvenience.
Nikhat Parvez, administrator of the Hooghly River Water Transport Cooperative Society Limited, said the workers’ concerns had been heard and would be communicated to senior authorities. The administrator did not announce a restoration timeline in the statement cited by the report.
The ferry network will remain suspended indefinitely unless the dispute over the bonus and salary arrears is resolved. The next operational step depends on discussions between the workers, the cooperative society and the higher authorities to whom the matter has been referred.
