Thousands of commuters from West Kochi are getting stranded at boat jetties or have to rely on crowded buses to reach Ernakulam due to the State Water Transport Department’s reluctance to operate adequate number of services in the route, the West Kochi Passengers’ Association has petitioned the Chief Minister.
Four ferries have been deputed to be operated in the Ernakulam-Fort Kochi/Mattancherry corridor. But many trips are cancelled, citing different reasons. Many trips to Mattancherry are being cancelled citing inadequate depth at the jetty there. The issue can be sorted out if dredging is done in a time-bound manner.
“Even worse, 100-seater ferries taken to Alappuzha for repair works are seldom returned to Ernakulam,” said Padmanabha Mallaya, the association’s secretary. Often, smaller vessels which can carry just 75 passengers and were operated in small waterbodies and canals of Alappuzha are despatched to Ernakulam. This has safety implications since they have to operate through the shipping channel in Ernakulam, side by side with huge ships and tourist vessels. Under this circumstance, at least three more 100-seater ferries must be deployed in Ernakulam to cater for commuters, including students. Steps must also be taken to speed up repair works of boats in private yards. Moreover, a technically-qualified person must be posted at the helm of the department, said M.M. Abbas, president of the association.
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GIDA ferry
In the meantime, a ferry service proposed by GIDA in the Ernakulam-Goshree Islands-West Kochi route is hanging fire for about a decade. “The vessel is being readied for launch. No deadline has been set,” said a GIDA official.