As you travel along arterial roads of the city, you may come across dilapidated bus shelter-like structures along the banks of the Cooum.
These are nothing but dilapidated boat jetties, standing as a testimony of the unrealised dream of making Cooum a beautiful, navigable river. One of these jetties makes a fleeting appearance in the popular song, ‘ Idhu Oru Ponmalai’ from Nizhalgal in 1980s.
The Cooum, which is now left with only garbage floating on it, once ferried passenger boats during early 1970s. Eight boat jetties costing Rs.3.30 lakh were sanctioned by the Public Works Department in May 1972 as part of the Cooum Improvements Scheme. The project to improve Cooum was inaugurated by the then chief minister C. N. Annadurai during September 1967.
Boat jetties were built near Harrington Road, Sivananda Salai, Ethiraj Salai, College Road near Cochin House office, below Andrew’s bridge, Chintadripet, near Dams Road and near Cooum river estuary. Many of them still stand testimony to the river’s glorious past. According to PWD records, one of these jetties had also sported a small garden and another had a snack bar.
The then Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi launched the pleasure boat service in 1973. However, the service ended abruptly.
