KOCHI:
If you decide to travel by road, it takes a minimum 45 minutes to reach
mainland Ernakulam from Fort Kochi or Mattancherry in west Kochi. But
the ferry service, operating between these points, can take you to the
city in 20 minutes.

With travelling through pothole-ridden and
congested roads from west Kochi becoming a tiresome affair, there is
public clamour to modernize and augment existing ferry services by
introducing more roll-on roll-out (ro-ro) services that can transport
both vehicles and passengers.

Currently, the state water
transport department (SWTD) operates boat services connecting Ernakulam,
Mattancherry, Fort Kochi and Vypeen islands. “When there is heavy
traffic to the city, it takes over an hour to reach mainland from Fort
Kochi by road. The SWTD do not operate modern and high-speed vessels.
Since the boat service is becoming more popular, the Kochi corporation
or the water transport authority should introduce more ro-ro services,
which can carry both commuters and vehicles including cars and
two-wheelers. This will considerably reduce the number of vehicles on
the roads,” said Fort Kochi councillor Antony Kureethara. He also said
the corporation should operate it on a service basis and not with a
profit motive.

The Cochin Port Trust is the only agency
operating a ro-ro service, between Bolgatty and Willingdon Island to
carry container trucks, in the backwaters now.

The corporation,
meanwhile, operates a jankar service that can transport both vehicles
and passengers between Fort Kochi and Vypeen islands. The service, run
by private agencies, is not regular and a major issue in the area.

To improve connectivity, the corporation is now planning to introduce a
ro-ro service between Fort Kochi and Vypeen islands. “We plan to
introduce the ro-ro service connecting these two points as part of
Mission Kochi 15-08-15 programme,” said town planning committee chairman
K J Sohan.

The corporation will soon start the tender process.
The local body is planning to begin the service before March 2015.
While the jankar can carry 12-15 vehicles such as cars and small trucks
and about 50 two-wheelers, the ro-ro can carry up to 100 vehicles. “We
will need to invest Rs 3 crore for a ro-ro boat,” said an official.

Corporation officials are hoping to get the project funded by the
German government-owned development bank, KFW, which has shown interest
in developing the city’s water transport system as part of Kochi Metro.