The all-too-familiar issues of unscheduled diversions and termination of services are back to haunt the boat services to and fro from Kottayam town after a brief interval.
Six months after full-scale restoration of its flagship service connecting Kottayam and Alappuzha towns, operations on the route has once again been hit by a defunct lift bridge at Chungathu 30. The disruption has forced the boats to wind up the services about 3.5 km off the town at Kanjiram or take a diversion through Pallam. Besides turning away commuters, the move has brought to a standstill the lives of those residing in the backwater region.
State Water Transport Department (SWTD) station house officer in Kottayam K.K.Najeeb has now approached the District Collector seeking to fix the lift bridge on a war footing. “Smooth operation of the boats along the boat channel will be crucial in rescuing people from the backwater areas in case of floods during this monsoon as it happened in 2018,” said Mr. Najeeb.
The operation of boats to Kottayam town faced its first major disruption eight years ago when work on a bridge began at Kanjiram. For about five years, boats were forced to wind up service at the Kanjiram jetty and though the bridge was opened to traffic three years ago, restoration of boat service has been further delayed with the bridge at Chungathu 30 remaining defunct.
The mechanised bridge, which can be raised vertically up to 85 degrees to permit passage of vessels underneath, had turned defunct in the absence of periodical maintenance. Despite repeated demands, it took the Kottayam municipality over one-and-a-half years to complete the works.
Commenting on the issue, a senior SWTD official said, “the bridge, which often turns defunct for some unknown reasons, is standing in the way of our operations to Kottayam. The municipal authorities, who are responsible for maintaining the bridge, have always turned a blind eye to the problem,” he said.
Municipal chairperson P.R. Sona was not available for comments despite repeated attempts.