The Water Metro ferry jetty proposed in Fort Kochi should be integrated with the two boat jetties already in place at Kamalakadavu where buses to Fort Kochi halt, former Mayor K.J. Sohan has said in a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has decided on a new jetty some 200 metres to the west of the Kamalakadavu jetty. This is near the harbour mouth and very dangerous to navigate (due to turbulent waves). The Cochin Port Trust, which owns the beach front, had written to KMRL in February, saying that constructing the jetty at the location was not feasible. Nevertheless, KMRL finalised the design and is conducting soil test on the same plot, Mr. Sohan wrote. Furthermore, the proposed site is flanked by huge Chinese fishing nets, which have high heritage value.
Their number has already dwindled from the earlier 16 to nine due to non-availability of long teak logs. A few of them will have to be removed to make the jetty functional. Thus, it is imperative that the Water Metro jetty too should be located alongside the existing jetties, making inter-modal transit easy for commuters, he observed.
On the basis of a study
Meanwhile, KMRL sources said the decision to locate the jetty 200 metres away from Kamalakadavu was taken on the basis of a study conducted by an expert team.
The locations for Water Metro jetties at various places in the Greater Kochi area were selected considering public utility, accessibility, and a complete multi-modal integration. KMRL is committed to minimising social impact and safeguarding the cultural and aesthetic values of Fort Kochi. “We would like to confirm that no Chinese nets will be pulled down or damaged for constructing the jetty. KMRL has also decided to reduce one berth at the boat jetty to ensure the preservation of Chinese nets,” the metro agency said.
“We held a meeting with Chinese net owners in the presence of K.J. Maxi, MLA, and Fort Kochi councillor Shiny Mathew on May 10. They were promised that the nets would be retained at the same location. The decision to keep the jetty closer to the nets was taken considering the tourist attraction,” KMRL added.
