KOCHI: The first phase of the Rs 747 crore water metro project is expected to be launched in 2019. The Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) which is implementing the project had already floated tenders for the procurement of advanced vessels which will be pressed into service on the backwaters in the Greater Kochi area. The project is to develop the water transport network of Greater Kochi by setting up 41 jetties connecting 10 island communities, covering a 76-km route network. A total of 76 boats will be rolled out as part of the project.
The project will be implemented in phases. In the first phase, 19 boat jetties will be revamped. These include Fort Kochi, Mattancherry, Vypeen, Bolgatty, Mulavukadu Hospital, Mulavukadu panchayat, Mulavukadu north, Ponnarimangalam, Chittoor South, High Court, Koronkotta, Thanthonnithuruthu, Thevara, Ernakulam, Kakkanad, Vyttila, Eroor, Kumbalam and Nettoor. However, while the water metro is the last hope to many areas under the Kochi agglomeration area for solving its travel woes, there was a demand from the people’s representatives of the respective areas to included such places in the list.
One such area, which is pinning its hopes on water metro is Vaduthala. “A boat jetty should be set up at Vaduthala under the water metro project,” said Hibi Eden MLA. “It is a long-pending demand of the residents here. The people residing at Vaduthala are facing severe travel woes because of an inadequate bus service. The KSRTC also does not have frequent services to Vaduthala. Hence most of the people residing here depending on autorickshaws and taxis to reach their destinations in and around the city. When the water metro project was announced, the people here were pinning their hopes on it.”
He said the issue was taken up before the KMRL authorities. “The residents, as well as the civic administrators of Vaduthala, have also submitted a separate memorandum in this regard. We have requested the KMRL MD and he has sent a team of water metro officers to assess the conditions here,” said Hibi. The MLA pointed out Vaduthala is one of the thickly populated divisions under Kochi Corporation. The boat jetty at Vaduthala was constructed during the pre-independent era and only needs a revamp. “There is no need for any additional dredging to enable boats to reach the facility. Hope the authorities concerned will consider the request,” he said.
Meanwhile, KMRL managing director A P M Muhammed Hanish said the request of the MLA was genuine. “Our team, which visited the area to assess the conditions gave a positive feedback. The project is implemented with the help of external borrowings provided by KfW, the German Development Bank. The KfW board has already given approval for the project in which there were only 41 boat jetties listed. Hence, we will have to go through various layers of discussions to get one more boat jetty included in the list,” added Hanish.