KOCHI: District Collector K Mohammed Y Safeerulla on Friday interacted with passengers to understand the travelling woes of commuters from the Vypeen area. The buses from Vypeen ply only till the High Court Junction and reaching other areas of the city is a daily ordeal for the hapless public.
It was as part of the Kochi Public Transport Day observance Safeerulla used public transport to travel from Vypeen to the High Court Junction. He set off from the Ernakulam Boat Jetty to the Vypeen Boat Jetty in a boat by around 8:40 am. From there, he took a private bus to the High Court Junction.
During the journey, the Collector interacted with the daily commuters from the Vypeen islands to understand their transport mobility issues. Safeerullah also looked into whether it will be possible for the buses coming in from Vypeen — which currently terminate service at the High Court Junction - to extend their service to the city areas. “Integrating the various modes of transport will be crucial to countering the mobility issues in island regions of the city, especially the waterways,” he said.
After reaching the High Court Junction at 9. 30 am, the Collector attended the event at Lalan Towers organised by the Kochi Metro and hosted by Greater Cochin Development Watch where he honoured the Metro passengers with the highest patronage in the month of June by presenting them ‘Shreshtasanchari Puraskaram’.
Apart from Safeerullah, Ernakulam Regional Transport Officer Jojy P Jose, Vypeen Action Council representative Advocate Majnu Komath, Greater Cochin Development Watch president Felix J Pulladan, SCMS college volunteers and representatives of residents’ associations became part of Kochi Public Transport Day observance.