KOCHI: Despite the hassle-free inland water transportation in the form of the ferry service from Kakkanad to Vyttila, the inflow of passengers is restricted. Reasons vary from lack of public awareness to inconvenience and connectivity obstacles. The abrupt closure of the feeder service that lasted barely a year was a major hiccup to the ferry services.
A feeder service is the primary solution to mitigate easy transportation. “Currently, KMRL is not part of the service. Prior to this, there were audit issues in the feeder services provided so it had to be cut off,” C R Reshmi, spokesperson of the KMRL, said. “We would resume services once the water metro starts functioning,” added Reshmi.
The existing Chittethukara boat jetty is hidden from sight. “This is another reason why people are not aware,” M Sujith, SWTD traffic superintendent said. “The distance is about 500 metres from the jetty to the nearest bus stop. And, about 2.5 kilometres along the Express Highway to reach Infopark. Commuting from the first stop at Vyttila is easy as the jetty is right behind the hub but once passengers reach Kakkanad, the connectivity is cut,” Sujith continued.As for solutions to tackle the issue, Sujith spoke about building a jetty near a piece of land that is 50 metres from the bus stop.
“We have consulted MLA P C Thomas about the land. We are yet to get a a nod from the authorities. A request has also been set to the principal secretary, transport, “ Sujith added. The new location of the boat jetty would offer ease of commutation to the bus station and add to easy spotting of the arrival of the ferry thereby simultaneously creating awareness about such a service to the public.