Pinarayi to inaugurate Vallakkadavu-Kollam waterway in February

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the rejuvenated and navigable 68-km waterway from Vallakadavu to Kollam in the second week of February. According to officials,  final trial runs on the stretch are under way ahead of the inauguration. The 24-seater solar boat procured by CIAL, which is currently under trial at Kochi, will be brought to Thiruvananthapuram in the first week of February. The plan is to complete all work before February 10. According to sources, the chief minister is likely to commission the waterway on February 17.  

An official associated with the project said that multiple trial runs of the solar boat will be conducted ahead of the inaugural event. “On Wednesday, we carried out an inspection along the stretch and we went from Karikkakom till Varkala Onnam Palam successfully. There are a couple of issues at Varkala that needs to be settled. We have to remove a few encroachments and there is resistance on the part of some people who are not allowing us to undertake the desilting activities. The MLA has intervened and a meeting will be held with them. We have been directed to continue the work with police protection and complete it within 10 days,” said the official. 

The Inland Navigation Department has made the 722-metre-Sivagiri tunnel and 350-metre-Chilakoor tunnel to make the stretch navigable. On Wednesday, a trial run was successfully completed in the stretch. Solar boat trial run is under way at Kochi and they are planning to do a run till Kottappuram. “The boat is likely to arrive in Thiruvananthapuram by February 5 and more trial runs will be held on the stretch before the inauguration which would be attended by ministers and MLAs,” said the official. 

According to officials, Karikkakom bridge will be demolished next week. “The temple authorities have agreed for the demolition and we have also launched cleaning activities on the southern side from Vallakadavu following directions from the state government. We have tendered the work and cleaning activities will begin by Monday,” said the official. The official added that there are rumours that the election code of conduct might come into effect from February 15. 

The commissioning of the stretch would facilitate the transportation from Akkulam to Kottappuram. However, the project submitted by the Kerala Waterways Infrastructure Ltd— a special purpose vehicle (SPV) of Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) to rejuvenate the 18.5km stretch from Kovalam to Akkulam— is yet to get approval from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). “We have been waiting for their approval, which is crucial for the completion of the work, for the past three years,” said the official.