PRAYAGRAJ, June 5 -- The state government will be operating ferries in some rural areas of Prayagraj that get cut off for weeks owing to the swollen Ganga during peak monsoon. District officials said the public works department would monitor the initiative, which is a first in the region.

The government has approved Rs.64.50 lakh for the initiative, as part of which three ferries will be operated on the Ganga from select ghats. A tender process has been initiated for this, and technical bids will be accepted on June 10, said Praveen Kumar Rai, the executive engineer (civil) of PWD's Prayagraj provincial division.

Apart from the Ganga and the Yamuna, Prayagraj is surrounded by several small rivers. "Due to rising waters of the rivers in ...