KOCHI: Here is happy news for boat race enthusiasts. The KSRTC budget Tourism cell will run chartered services from various districts to facilitate festival buffs soak in the experience of the famed Nehru Trophy Boat Race, which will be held at the Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha on August 10.
“The package offers cost-effective travel from various districts to Alappuzha and includes the boat race tickets as well. The commuters can watch the sensational boat races from Rose Corner (Rs 1,500; separate chair-concrete pavilion) and Victory Lane (Rs 500; wooden gallery). This is excluding the travel fare,” said a senior KSRTC official.
Meanwhile, a dedicated counter has been opened at the KSRTC depot at Alappuzha for the public to buy the boat race tickets. Those who book the tickets online and through WhatsApp can collect the tickets from the counter.
“All category passes (tickets) – Rs 100, Rs 200, Rs 400, Rs 500, Rs 1,500, Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,000, are available at the counter. The public can also WhatsApp details – name, type of category pass, number of people – to phone no 9846475874 and remit the required money online to the QR code of the Alappuzha Budget Tourism Cell to book tickets. They can collect the same from the counter on the morning of August 10 and proceed to the boat race venue,” the official added. The Budget Tourism cell sold boat race tickets worth Rs 1,75,100 in 2022 and Rs 2,99,500 in 2023. For further enquiries, contact, 9846475874.
Kuttanad’s ‘Olympics on Waters’
The Nehru Trophy Boat Race, known as Kuttanad’s Olympics on Waters, is held on the second Saturday of August every year at the palm-fringed, picturesque Punnamada Lake. An estimated two lakh people, including foreign tourists, descend to the Punnamada Lake to get a feel of the fiercely-fought boat race. The major attraction is the competition of the Chundan vallams (long snake boat).