KOCHI: Chellanam will soon become an integral part of Kochi’s tourism scene, thanks to the Rs 344 crore promenade that is being built alongside the tetrapod seawall along its coast.
The seawall and 7.3km-long esplanade -- and the scenic views they provide -- are sure to secure the fishing village’s place on the tourist map.
According to officials, it will be a very convenient place for visitors and tourists to spend their free time and fitness enthusiasts to go for long jogs. “The first phase of the project involved the 17km seawall,” they said. The Chellanam walkway is expected to be inaugurated soon.
Construction of a coastal highway, being implemented by the state government, is also progressing and is expected to further boost the region’s coastal tourism potential.
The first phase of tetrapod seawall project at Chellanam was to be completed in April. Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS) has been given the contract to build the tetrapod seawall. The construction of the seawall began after a lot of hue and cry was raised over the destruction of property due to sea erosion along the coast, especially during the monsoon.
Earlier, the conventional seawall of Chellanam failed to check the intrusion of sea and this resulted in massive ruin and destruction. Coastal erosion, which intensified after Cyclone Ockhi in 2017, further worsened with Cyclone Tauktae, leaving many residents in relief camps for extended periods. Every announcement of a cyclone would have the residents scurrying for safe grounds.