Ferry commuters, especially those who relied on fast but cost-effective mode of commute to Fort Kochi, are among those severely hit by curtailment of trips by the State Water Transport Department (SWTD) following the pandemic situation.
With numerous wards in West Kochi having been declared as containment zones, the department suspended operation of ferries to Fort Kochi a month ago. “We have considerably scaled down operations, with two ferries operating to Vypeen and another to Mulavukad,” said an SWTD official.
The cancellation of services has resulted in regular commuters, most of them from economically-backward areas, having to share the autorickshaw fare to reach Thopumpady. They then take bus to reach the city, spending upwards of ₹30 per trip. They need to spend only ₹6 if ferries are available, said Govind Madhav Mallya, who relied on ferries to commute to the city till the lockdown.
The SWTD has always given a step-motherly treatment to West Kochi commuters, while it operates adequate number of trips to Vypeen. It has also been citing doubtful reasons like shallow waterway for ferries not calling at the Mattancherry Jetty for over a year. The same department is operating ferries through similar waterways in Alappuzha, Mr. Mallya said.
SWTD officials, on the other hand, explained how they were forced for curtail trips very often due to poor patronage. “Most ferries had hardly a dozen passengers, except during peak times. This resulted in total revenue from ticket fare falling from ₹75,000 during pre-COVID-19 days to around ₹10,000. This is one reason why the department is not operating Vega-120, the fast ferry that operated in the Vaikom-Ernakulam-Fort Kochi sector,” they said.
On its part, the department has readied hand-washing facilities at its terminals.
The Fort Kochi-Vypeen (roll-on roll-off) ro-ro service operated by the Kochi Corporation too has been cancelled in view of containment zone regulations.