CM Pinarayi Vijayan to launch rejuvenated Akkulam-Kollam waterway

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will on Monday formally launch the Akkulam - Kollam waterway. He will dedicate the waterway to the public by travelling on board the 24 seater solar-powered safari boat, procured by Kochi airport  for the tourism department, through the rejuvenated 11 km of the backwaters from Veli to Kadinamkulam. Water Resources Minister K Krishnankutty, Shashi Tharoor, MP, and Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran are scheduled to attend.

The project is part of the 100-day programme of the LDF government. The stretch is part of the 590 km- long West Coast Canal (WCC) from Kovalam in the state capital to Neeleshwar in Kasaragod district. Authorities said the journey along the West Coast Canal which passes through the hinterland  will give tourism a fillip.

Meanwhile, the solar boat which cost around `90 lakh to the state exchequer had arrived at the Veli Boat Club of Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) last Wednesday. “We did extensive trial runs to ensure that there are no disruptions during the inauguration. This is a prestigious project and the waterway was made navigable during the past five years,” said an officer associated with the project. The trial run will be held .

The  solar boat which is 15.3 metres-long and 2.93 metres-wide, with a height of 3.84 metres, can cruise with ease in areas which have a depth of at least one metre. The tourism authorities had got Cusat to design the boat while complying with the specifications of the Directorate of Ports. The trial run to be conducted from Chackai to Kadinamkulam under the supervision of Kerala Waterways and Infrastructure Ltd (KWIL) --  the special purpose vehicle(SPV) created by the government for the rejuvenation of the inland waterways —and the coastal and inland navigation department will be held  over the next couple of days.