The Fort Vypeen Janakeeya Kootayma organised a mass protest before the Kochi Corporation office at 10.30 a.m. on Saturday, to highlight the civic agency’s inordinate delay in commencing roll-on roll-off services between Fort Kochi and Vypeen.
The Cochin Shipyard completed trial runs of the two ro-ro vessels (boats which can carry both people and vehicles) in February and jankar jetties were completed at either end in May. The protest coincides with the second anniversary of the Fort Kochi ferry accident that claimed the lives of 11 people, said Majnu Komath, chairman of the NGO, who inaugurated it. The Corporation has now deployed a rickety ferry and a jankar in the sector. They must be replaced with the two modern ro-ro vessels, to ensure safety of commuters. Any further delay will force us to strengthen our mass agitation since the lives of thousands of people who use the waterway route is at stake, he added. Representatives of numerous NGOs and trade union leaders participated in the protest.