Special Correspondent
KOCHI
The allocation of ₹150 crore for the Water Metro project, in which a total of 78 air conditioned, battery-operated ferries will link islands and prominent waterfront locales in the Greater Kochi area with Kochi city and West Kochi, has been welcomed by KMRL, the agency which is implementing the project.
The funds would come in handy to acquire land for the pending jetties from among the total 38 jetties envisaged under the project, metro sources said.
They hoped that adequate funds will be provided from the ₹507 crore set apart in the budget for 10 prominent projects, for completing land acquisition and to widen the international stadium-Kakkanad corridor, as part of preparatory works for Kochi Metro’s Kakkanad extension. Funds from this might also be allotted for the ₹1,500 crore project to widen and regenerate six canals in Kochi, to prevent flooding and to make them navigable.
Mayor M. Anilkumar and Majnu Komath, chairman of Vypeen Janakeeya Kootayma, lauded the government for allotting ₹10 crore for the roll on-roll off (ro-ro) ferry (the third such ferry in the Fort Kochi-Vypeen corridor). “This was a long-pending demand of people from the Goshree Islands, since commuters were stranded on either side whenever one of the two existing ro ro ferries was withdrawn from service for repairs,” Mr. Komath said.
Inland water transport
A sum of ₹141 crore has been allocated for the inland water transport sector. This includes ₹29.79 crore for State Water Transport Department (SWTD), ₹8.31 crore to Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) and ₹103.56 crore for Coastal Shipping and Inland Navigation Department.
“The funds earmarked for our department will be used for, among other purposes, the conversion of nine ferries from diesel to CNG,” said Shaji V. Nair, Director of SWTD. “For this, stakeholders have agreed to install a CNG station in the Ernakulam Boat Jetty premises free of cost. The first vessel will shortly be retrofitted with a CNG kit, and three-month-long trial runs will follow.”
The government has, in addition, committed to convert half the fleet of SWTD ferries to solar-powered ones in another five years. The Finance Minister made special mention of Aditya, India’s first solar ferry that is being operated by SWTD in the Vaikom-Thavanakadavu route, in his budget speech. “It carried a total of 15 lakh commuters during the past five years, saving 1.50 lakh litres of diesel, averting the emission of 400 tonnes of carbon dioxide,” he said.
On its part, the KSINC has been working to launch its first solar powered tourist vessel in Marine Drive here or in Alappuzha. “Efforts are also on to convert all existing tourist vessels to solar-powered ones, and barges to CNG, to rein in pollution” said Prasanth Nair, MD of the agency.
