Passenger associations, social activists and non-governmental organisations have sought speedy measures by the Kochi Corporation to introduce the third roll on, roll off (ro-ro) ferry in the passenger-dense Fort Kochi-Vypeen corridor, while terming the ₹15-crore capital investment on the vessel as prohibitive.
Fearing that the ₹15 crore that Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML) has allotted to the Corporation could lapse due to “inadequate will power” of the civic body, Francis Chammany, president of Vypeen-Fort Kochi Passengers’ Association, said the forum was in the dark about the specifications and the expense of the proposed vessel. “The two ro-ro ferries that have been operating in the corridor since 2019 together cost less than ₹10 crore. The price tag of the proposed vessel, that was put at ₹10 crore, was subsequently increased to ₹15 crore. This could have been avoided if a design, plan and estimate for the vessel had been readied in advance. Both the Corporation and CSML must convince members of the public about the third ro-ro project and its cost,” he added.
“The ₹15-crore price tag of the third such vessel is prohibitive, since it can be built for between ₹7 crore and ₹10 crore, including the profit amount. It is also noteworthy that operating a bigger ro-ro ferry in the corridor is not practical now, since there are constraints in berthing it at Vypeen jetty,” said Haris Aboo, a Fort Kochi-based social activist. He added that a third vessel ought to be built fast to prevent disruption of service when any of the two existing vessels were withdrawn due to technical snags.
Calling for a bigger ro-ro ferry, the Vypeen Janakeeya Kootayma, an NGO, has demanded that the Corporation augment berthing infrastructure at Vypeen in order to host such bigger vessels.
Responding to the issue, Mayor M. Anilkumar said “efforts were under way to stall the introduction of the third ro-ro ferry”. “The CSML director board had decided to entrust its construction to the Cochin Shipyard. Sadly, a few stakeholders with political motives want to thwart its construction. The civic body will overcome these challenges,” he said.
Sources in the shipyard said the Corporation had not yet placed an order with them. “Neither was there any formal enquiry or request for quote [RFQ] from the agency. Only preliminary discussions were held in this regard,” they said. CSML sources, meanwhile, confirmed that the director board had approved a sum of ₹15 crore for the vessel.
