The efforts of the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) to develop Marine Drive into a major entertainment and tourism zone in the city will be officially launched this month, with the inauguration of the Kettuvallam Bridge.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will dedicate the new 700-metre-long, 12-metre-wide walkway and the ‘Kettuvallam’-shaped bridge to the public on April 28.
The major highlight of the bridge is that it has a restaurant and refreshment centre in it. The public can also view the beautiful city and the backwaters from the top of the towers in the restaurant.
The Rs 7.5-crore walkway is a part of Marine Drive beautification project and the bridge has been designed by young architect P S Binoy. His design was selected from among the numerous ones submitted by the leading architects at at competition organised by IIA.
“Now the total length of Marine Drive walkway is 4.5 km. We are also planning to turn the Marine Drive into one of the major entertainment zones in the City,” said GCDA chairman N Venugopal.
Open Stage
An open stage will be set up at the northern end of the walkway by the authority. This will provide visitors who are artists as well with a platform to showcase their talents. “Above the stage, a 20-metre-wide screen will be set up. Informative programmes and advertisements will be on display on the screen,” Venugopal said.
Cable Car
The GCDA’s plan to launch a cable car service will become a reality soon, the Chairman said. “The Cochin Port has already given consent for launching the cable car service. We need to obtain the Port’s sanction for setting up ropeways for the service,” he said. The cable car project is being launched as part of the Vision 2030 Plan proposed by the GCDA. On implementation it would be the first of its kind facility in the state. The authority also plans to extend the the service to Varapuzha and nearby areas in the future.
Helium Balloon
Venugopal said that the Navy has given the nod to launch Helium Balloon service at Marine Drive. Among the other proposals, GCDA also plans to launch a Snow City at marine Drive. The laser show at Rajendra Maidan will also be launched this year.
“Our major aim is to provide unlimited entertainment for the visitors. Since public space is limited in the city, we believe that Marine Drive will soon become the favourite haunt for those who want to step outdoors,” he said.