The barge embedded in Kestopur canal. Picture by Amit Datta

The dredging of the Kestopur canal on Friday yielded a 50-seater barge, which had sunk more than half-a-century ago.

The barge had been commissioned by the British government to ferry ?natives? across the canal.

The vessel was found near the sluice gate in Nayapatti, Salt Lake. News of the discovery fuelled rumours about the recovery of an ancient ship laden with treasure.

According to local residents, history of the barge dates back to early 20th Century, when the British government had dug the Kestopur canal, intersecting a much-used thoroughfare from Polenite (now an added area of Salt Lake) to Jessore Road, via Dum Dum Park.

The government had dug the canal for drainage and navigation. ?It stretched from Chitpur to Kulti Gung and was the main transit route from the city to the Northeast, Burma and Bangladesh,? said an irrigation department official.

Lakshmikanta Pramanik, the local zamindar, had filed a case against the government for ?causing inconvenience? to local people by digging the canal.

Lakshmikanta?s nephew Mohan Kumar said the Polenite thoroughfare was a crucial link road for the residents of Nayapatti, Mahishbathan and their adjoining areas.

?Realising the problem, the British had commissioned the barge,? he added.

The barge, made of steel, was bound to both sides of the canal by ropes. The ropes were submerged and were pulled from the banks whenever people were to cross the canal. The service was free and the only mode of transport across the waterway.

Not just people, heavy goods and even horse-drawn carriages used to be ferried on the barge.

However, lack of maintenance took its toll on the vessel and it was replaced by wooden boats, which no longer rendered free service, said Satyendranath Mondal, member of the Mahishgot panchayat.

Local residents said the British had commissioned a similar barge in Lake Town. Its fate is unknown.

?In the past, we had found hulls and other parts of boats during dredging. But as far we know, this is the first time a complete barge has been unearthed,? said the irrigation department official.