KOCHI: Fort Kochi wears a festive look with the Biennale all set to kickstart on Friday. People from far and near have started thronging the venues and more are expected to visit the melting pot. But, does the place have the proper infrastructure for the international event remains a moot question.
As per the data with the Tourism Department, there was a surge in tourists during the first edition of Biennale from December, 2012 to March 17, 2013. The number of domestic tourists was put at 4,31,127 and the number of foreign tourists almost touched 1.5 lakh. Meanwhile, data from the Kochi Biennale Foundation reveals that 4 lakh people visited the venues.
Though it reaped rich revenue, the government has turned a blind eye to the infrastructure issue.
Water transport
If visitors opt for a bus service from Ernakulam city to the Biennale venues, they are likely to lose precious time battling with traffic congestion. Ferry service is a better bet as it would take around 15 minutes to reach Fort Kochi from Ernakulam. During the first edition, people had to test their patience at the boat ticket counters in the winding queues.
According to K K Sasikumar, station master, KSWTD, boats could carry only limited passengers and the last Biennale witnessed unprecedented rush. “Last year, the services were much sought after and people had to wait for hours, but the government is yet to take up the issue,” he said. The KSWTD runs as many as 50 circular services during peak hours and special ferry service is the need of hour during the Biennale.
Budget restaurant
The dearth of budget restaurants is another issue. Art lovers find accommodation a bit expensive. Though the government generates a whopping amount as revenue from the tourism hub it is yet to provide proper budget restaurants. Fort Kochi hardly has any good hotels or restaurants that can cater to middle-class customers. The place has many luxury hotels though - Old Harbour, Kashi Cafe, Tea Pot Cafe, Tea Bungalow, Brunton Boatyard, Malabar House, Koder House, Italian Upstairs Restaurant, Old Light House Bristow, Seagull and Fort House.
When asked Tourism Minister A P Anil Kumar said that they were unable to set up budget hotels owing to dearth of space. Allegations are rife that the government has vested interest and is keen on promoting home stays and luxurious hotels by ignoring the need to set up KTDC or budget restaurants.
Homestays turn dearer
With the tourism season in full swing, as many as 100 homestays functioning at Fort Kochi charge hefty amounts for rooms. For a single room sans AC they charge morethan Rs 1,800 per day and Rs 2,000 for that with A/C. Earlier, they charged around Rs 700 to Rs 1,000.
When contacted, a homestay owner at Fort Kochi said the tourism season is a profit generating machine. “We can’t afford to charge the same amount throughout the year. No one has insisted on charging a fixed amount,” he said. Meanwhile, the authorities are yet to take any steps to curb homestays from charging exorbitant rates despite the complaints filed by visitors. The authorities concerned kept mum on the issue.
Parking troubles
The lack of parking facility is a major headache for the Foundation as there is no adequate space for it. Hundreds of vehicles headed for Fort Kochi during the last Biennale which led to chaos near the venues.Meanwhile, the parking space for vehicles opting for Junkar is also an issue. “Parking is an issue. The number of vehicles that arrived at the venues was uncontrollable during the last Biennale it created some congestion in front of the main venue and some headache to the public. In order to avoid such situations we have approached the police and they offered to deploy hands to curb traffic,” said Bonny Thomas, Research Coordinator, Kochi Biennale Foundation.
