Even as the uncertainty over commissioning the first batch of ferries of the Water Metro project continues, Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has invited tenders to design and build a jetty complex at Mattancherry for the project at an estimated cost of ₹12.29 crore.
This comes in the wake of a contracting firm, to which the work had been awarded in 2019, failing to begin work. Most other jetties of the ₹747-crore project, in which a total of 78 ferries will be rolled out, are in different stages of completion. The Mattancherry Jetty had been ‘de-scoped’ earlier this year from the list of jetties that had been entrusted to the firm, following which new tender documents were readied.
The firm failing to commence work had invited considerable flak from commuters, residents, and traders. What made matters worse was that the renovation of the State Water Transport Department (SWTD) jetty nearby and the dredging of premises too were getting delayed. SWTD ferries stopped calling at the jetty well before the pandemic struck, forcing commuters from Mattancherry to travel all the way to the Fort Kochi jetty.
Members of Kerala Handicraft Dealers and Manufacturers’ Welfare Association were at the forefront of the agitation demanding speedy completion of jetties of the two agencies, considering that waterway connectivity to the heritage locale held the key to invigorating commercial activity in what was once a prime business hub in the western coast. That the construction firm failed to build the Water Metro jetty, despite accepting mobilisation advance from KMRL, further enraged traders and commuters.
Sources in KMRL said the Mattancherry Jetty complex would have to be ready within 10 months of awarding the contract. “The structure will have a total of three berths [floating pontoons], with provision for charging ferries. A portion of the complex will be supported by piles erected on the backwaters. The structure has obtained all environmental clearances, while it will maintain the necessary distance from the Mattancherry Palace, a heritage structure maintained by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI),” they added.
The Water Metro’s Fort Kochi jetty, which was scaled down from 20,000 sq.ft. to approximately 8,000 sq.ft. is expected to be ready in three months, the sources said.
