KOCHI: For residents and merchants of Fort Kochi — Kochi’s quaint island township that has been on the global tourist map repeatedly for its historical involvement in global trade and the Kochi Muziris Biennale — tourism has been a major source of income.
The Covid pandemic and back-to-back floods had a major impact on its economy and life. Now, with international flights resuming operations, Fort Kochi residents were looking forward to better days, but the island’s poor infrastructure, lack of basic amenities and dilapidated roads, are causing concern. The situation is so bad, that commuters, especially pregnant women and those struggling with illnesses, find it difficult to travel. “The roads are bumpy and in some places, the tiles are dislocated, making it difficult to drive or ride,” said Nimmy Joseph, a resident who is five months pregnant.
The situation has been like this for a while, say residents. They said the roads were dug up quite a while ago and the process of repairing the dilapidated roads has been going on for almost two years. “Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML), Public Works Department (PWD), Kerala Water Authority (KWA) and Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) have been digging up the roads to lay cables and pipes. The majority of roads in the area have been dug up. Ever since the restrictions on domestic tourism was lifted in the state, thousands of people have started visiting Fort Kochi. The roads are bound to leave a terrible impression on them,” said Joseph D’Souza, a 48-year-old resident of Fort Kochi.
Autorickshaw drivers, merchants suffer
Despite making multiple pleas to authorities, no action has been taken yet. Autorickshaw drivers are bearing the brunt of this, mostly because they have to persistently take longer routes due to road diversions.
“Even if we have to drop a passenger who lives close by, we have to take a longer route due to road closures. But the passengers are not willing to pay more than the minimum charge, and we end up bearing the losses. With the hike in fuel prices, this has become especially hard for us,” said an autorickshaw driver near Calvathy Road. Residents and merchants of Calvathy road have been struggling for months since the roads have been blocked for drainage work.
“While coming from Mattanchery, we have to take a detour because half of the road is closed. CSML and KSEB have been working on the stretch for months. The roads are filled with potholes, making it difficult to commute. As of now, we have been informed that the drainage work on the street will begin soon. This will make the situation worse, especially during peak tourist season,” said Jayakrishnan, owner of Seagull restaurant.
The situation is no different at the beach.
“The beach has not been maintained in a long time. The state of Vasco Da Gama Square, the parade ground, Santa Cruz ground and all other landmarks is quite bad. Rather than spending a lot of money on unnecessary projects, ensuring basic maintenance would go a long way,” said another resident.
‘Work will be completed by December’
CSML officials said the work of 25 roads in west Kochi has been completed. The remaining will be completed by December, they said. “Apart from this, the repair work of footpaths and few other roads is pending and was delayed due to rain,” said the official. CSML is working on around 54 roads, including footpaths, in west Kochi at an estimated cost of I34.73 cr.