Boat passengers in West Kochi, under the aegis of the Paschima Kochi Boat Passengers’ Association, have alleged that about 600 daily passengers were facing difficulties due to the shortage of boats and a subsequent cut in the number of trips between West Kochi and mainland Ernakulam.
A statement issued by the association said that the Water Transport Department had cancelled the 7.45 a.m., 8.50 a.m. and 9.35 a.m. boat services between Fort Kochi and Ernakulam and back. “These are some of the busiest periods during the day,” the association said.
The cancellation of the trips took place about one week ago and the services continue to remain suspended.
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The secretary of the association, S. Padmanabha Mallya, said in a statement that enquiries with the Water Transport Department had revealed that the department had no funds to buy spare parts or repair boats. A boat that served the Fort Kochi-Ernakulam route had been shifted to the Varappuzha route after the regular Varappuzha boat developed some trouble, Mr. Mallya said in his statement.
The boat passengers have demanded that more boats be allotted for the Fort Kochi-Ernakulam and Mattancherry-Ernakulam routes to ease passenger traffic. They have also demanded that the Mattancherry boat jetty be immediately dredged to allow boats to dock and that season tickets be issued to regular passengers. Immediate repair of boats that had developed trouble and making the Thevara boat yard more efficient were other demands raised by the passengers.