With an eye on drawing more passengers, the State Water Transport Department (SWTD) is mulling on extending its Vyttila-Kakkanad ferry service up to Pallikkara.
Officials said steps were in place to add another eight kilometres through the Kadambrayar River to the sector and a route survey had already been conducted. “Opening the route will help draw more passengers, especially tourists, as the time of travel between the two destinations will be considerably reduced,” said Sathyan, SWTD Traffic Superintendent in Ernakulam
A proposal in this regard received the Cabinet’s approval, which also allocated a fund of Rs.4.5 crore to the Irrigation Department for deepening the river and making it suitable for navigation. The dredging works, however, are yet to gain the momentum.
The service will also serve as an added tourist attraction to the city. Besides, it can also give a fillip to the proposed tourism village project envisaged by the Kadambrayar Destination Management Council.
Meanwhile, the SWTD is set to introduce Wi-Fi service in the boats operating to Kakkanad. The agency has made an in-principle decision in this regard and has started consultations with a service provider company. The service will be launched upon setting up the requisite infrastructure at the Vyttila Mobility Hub.
Of the total travel time of about 20 minutes, the service will be extended free of cost for the first five minutes. “It is an added incentive and is just the kind of service that would interest our passengers. The service, which is expected to be operational within a month, will also help expand our client base, especially those commuting to the Infopark and other IT establishments located in and around Kakkanad,” said Shaji. V. Nair, Director, SWTD.
The boat service, having a capacity to carry about 100 passengers and ten two-wheelers, has an average traffic flow of about 400 persons and records a daily average collection of about Rs.3,000. It received a rather lukewarm response in the beginning due to the absence of proper facilities, following which the authorities deployed a feeder transport, connecting the boat-landing centre at Chittethukara and Kakkanad town, and rescheduled its timings.
Of the total travel time of about 20 minutes, Wi-Fi service will be provided free of cost for the first five minutes.
