KOCHI: It was announced with much fanfare, but the wait for Kochiites and tourists for a joyride atop an open-decked double-decker bus continues.
The KSRTC officials here immediately swung into action soon after the announcement of Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar, and redeployed an iconic double-decker bus to Kochi from Thalassery nearly a couple of months back. A trial run was held and the route fixed, but then the project was put on the backburner. The reason, dangling cables plaguing the city.
The old-modelled double-clutch bus, which can accommodate 70 passengers, was even refurbished. The seats inside the bus were arranged to enable the tourists to get a clear glimpse of the evening and night views of the city. The authorities planned to launch an evening ‘City Tour Package’ either by Christmas or the New Year. However, the double-decker bus is still idling at the garage of Ernakulam bus depot.
“The idea was to operate the City Tour services after 6pm to facilitate the tourists to enjoy the evening and night views. Also, there will be less traffic at that time. One route identified was from Madhava Pharmacy Junction to Fort Kochi via Container Road, Edappally, Vyttila, Kundanoor, Thoppumpady and Mattancherry. It will be a hop-on hop-off type of service where the visitors can board and deboard at any of the places in between,” said a senior KSRTC official.
“However, the dangling cables posed a serious hurdle in the section from Thoppumpady. We’ve identified at least 40 spots where the issue persists. Despite writing letters to agencies like the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), no action has been taken so far. As a final way out, the transport minister himself has contacted Kochi MLA K J Maxy, who promised to act on the issue,” he added.
Kochi Mayor M Anil Kumar, who also took a keen interest in the project, said all other hurdles have been cleared, and it’s up to Kochi MLA K J Maxy to tackle the cable issue. “The double-decker tour service will be launched as soon as the cables lying low are fixed and their height increased,” he said.
“Earlier the KSRTC used to run a passenger double-decker service till Thoppumpady. But the ‘City Tour’ ride should cover the historical and heritage towns of Mattancherry and Fort Kochi to woo tourists. Narrow roads and electric cables, however, are an impediment. It’s now the peak of tourism season. They should deploy the tourist service in another route, say Tripunithura, the seat of the erstwhile Royal Kingdom, on a war footing,” said Rajesh P R, a tour guide and a visiting lecturer at Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management.
Plan for City Tour Package
Rate: Rs 250/Rs 300 per person
Route: Madhava Pharmacy-Container Road, Edappally, Kundanoor, Thoppumpady, Mattancherry, Fort Kochi
No of seats: 70
Type: Open decked double-decker