KOCHI: For visitors arriving by State Water Transport Department (SWTD) boats in Fort Kochi, accessing the beach or the main tourist attractions now involves a long walk. The new floating boat jetty at Kamalakadavu could change all that.
The floating jetty, coming up near the Ro-Ro ferry jetty, is expected to start receiving SWTD services before Onam. Final electrical works are now under way at the jetty, which has been developed at the under-utilised Kamalakadavu boat jetty of Kochi corporation using Cochin Smart Mission Ltd (CSML) funds.
“The department currently has no boat jetty in this part of Fort Kochi. The new facility is therefore expected to provide a more direct connection between the mainland and the tourist core. It would provide daily commuters easy access to the bus stop, which is a 12-minute walk from Fort Kochi boat jetty. Tourists can also be dropped closer to places they intend to visit,” said Kalesh Kumar, an SWTD official.
The new jetty adjusts to changing water levels making boarding and disembarking more convenient during both high and low tides. “It can accommodate more than 100 people at a time and is designed exclusively for berthing SWTD boats. At present, all catamaran boats operated by the department in Ernakulam can berth there without any modifications,” officials said.
After CSML hands over the facility to SWTD, the department will finalise service timings and schedules. It is expected to be operated between 8am and 8pm.
The journey of passengers will begin at a ticket counter, located close to the old Kamalakadavu jetty. They will then proceed with tickets towards the floating facility. When a boat arrives, a gate watcher will carry out the necessary checks before allowing passengers onto the jetty. The same procedure will be followed for passengers arriving for each service.
Life buoys and rubber fenders will be installed at the jetty as part of safety arrangements. A security watchman will also be stationed at the facility. The initial plan is to operate one schedule a day on this sector, with additional services likely on Sundays when Fort Kochi sees higher tourist footfall, officials said.
The new jetty could give passengers another thing to cheer about: the fare. While a Water Metro journey costs around `30-40, the SWTD service is expected to operate at `20, making it a cheaper option for commuters and visitors. Officials estimate that the facility could potentially handle at least 10,000 passengers a day.
“The beach is only around 150m from the new jetty. For Fort Kochi, where the boat journey itself is part of the attraction, the new jetty could make the arrival as memorable as the ride,” Kalesh said.
