District Collector K. Mohammed Y. Safirulla has said that the date for the resumption of roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) service, which had to be suspended shortly after its inauguration, will be decided at a meeting to be held on Saturday to take stock of the situation.
This was decided at a meeting convened by the District Collector here on Wednesday at the instance of the State government. The Chief Minister had launched the service last Saturday.
The meeting also decided to take immediate steps to address issues hampering ro-ro service.
Representatives of Cochin Shipyard, which constructed the vessels; Kerala State Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC), operator of the vessels; Ports Department, the licensing authority; Cochin Port Trust (CPT), and the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) attended the meeting.
Mr. Safirulla informed stakeholders that all necessary certificates and insurance needed for the operation of the service were in place. The certificate issued by the surveyor and the certificate of registry issued under the Kerala Inland Vessel Rules are valid till May 6 and June 15, 2022 respectively.
CPT has also issued licence based on the survey certificate till May 6. The next dry dock test is due on April 6, 2020, while the annual insurance is valid till June 22 this year. Since a few permissions run out of validity in the first week of this month, necessary steps to get them renewed by the departments concerned will be taken at the earliest. CPT will take immediate steps to renew the licence to operate the vessels through the Kochi backwaters. Any shortcomings, if any, in the issue of necessary certificates and licences will also be ironed out, the agencies concerned told the meeting.
Shipyard procrastinating
KSINC cited the delay on the part of Cochin Shipyard in imparting training to operate the vessels. It further said that steps had been taken to identify an engineering expert with necessary qualifications to impart training.
Meanwhile, the Kochi Corporation promised that ticket counters and barricades at Fort Kochi and Vypeen boat jetties would be set up in the next five days. The Ports Department will look into issues related to mooring of jhankars. The meeting entrusted KSINC to fix the time tables for jhankar and ferry services.
