KOCHI: Putting an end to the travelling woes of the islanders to a great extent, the Lakshadweep administration has added one more vessel to its fleet of passenger vessels.
Union Minister for Shipping and Aviation Nitin Gadkari dedicated newly-acquired vessel ‘mv Corals’ at a function held at the Cochin Port on Thursday. The Minister also commissioned the new wharf built for handling Lakshadweep-bound vessels at the Port.
Addressing the gathering after dedicating the vessel, Gadkari pointed out that both Kerala and Lakshdweep had great potential for inland waterways. He is of the opinion that new jobs could be created by setting up units for building hovercrafts and small vessels.
Built by the Colombo Dockyard, mv Corals has capacity to carry 400 passengers and 250 tonne of cargo. Mv Arabian Sea and mv Lakshadweep Sea are the two other passenger vessels that are already in service.
Mv Corals has 10 first class cabins, 40 second class cabins and 350 normal cabins.
All the passenger compartments are fitted with air conditioners, which comprise a central air handling unit and a refrigerating plant.
Lakshadweep administrator Rajesh Prasad, who welcomed the gathering, said that mv Lagoon, the sister ship of mv Corals, was under construction at the Colombo Dockyard and was expected to be inducted into service next month. Mv Lagoon is also having the same specifications as that of of mv Coral.
“With these all-weather ships in service, along with the existing fleet, the Lakshadweep administration expects to put an end to the travelling woes of the islanders,” he said.
The 300-metre-long newly constructed wharf has facilities for handling passengers and conducting security check.
It was constructed by the Cochin Port, using Rs 37.52 crore allotted under the Plan fund for the Lakshadweep administration.
Meanwhile, Kavaratti district panchayat president Achada Ahamed Haji kept off the function as a mark of protest against not inviting the political figures in Lakshadweep to the function, and the alleged delay in implementing the development projects initiated by the UPA Government.