Although a Rs. 2.23-crore proposal was submitted by the district administration to the Tourism Department to construct a floating jetty at St. Mary’s Island, three years ago, there has been no action on it.
The island is about 6 km from Malpe fisheries habour and it was declared a national geological monument by the Geological Survey of India in 1979.
There is a 30-minute boat service from the harbour to the island from mid-September to mid-May and nearly 80,000 persons visit this island.
According to Sandhya, who issues tickets for the boat ride to the island, there is usually one trip to the island on weekdays and it increases to about four to five trips on weekends. “But a minimum of 30 passengers is required for a trip,” she said. As there is no jetty on the island, the tourists have to go close to the island in a mechanised boat.
Then they get into a small boat, which takes them closer to the island. They, then, have to alight from the boat, get into the sea and reach the island on foot. They have to do the same on the return journey also.
“This creates problems for senior citizens and women. If a jetty is built, a single boat can ferry the passengers directly to the island,” said Ganesh Amin, proprietor of Rajarajeshwari Tourist, which runs boat services from the harbour to the island.
But the proposal, for constructing the jetty at the island, prepared by the Nirmiti Kendra and sent to the Tourism Department is gathering dust. “No funds have been released by the department for the proposal. We are pursuing the matter with the authorities there,” said Kumara, Additional Deputy Commissioner.
There is no potable water on the island. Though toilets have been constructed on the island, the tourists are reluctant to use saline water. If a jetty is constructed, potable water can be transported from Malpe to the island daily. “Even if the proposal gets the nod and funds are allotted, it will take a minimum of one year to construct it as it is a floating jetty,” said Arun Kumar, project director of Nirmiti Kendra.
