Kochi: Regular passengers petitioned chief minister V D Satheesan over the frequent ferry disruptions in the Ernakulam-Fort Kochi section, complaining that the state water transport department (SWTD) is cutting down its operations in the region.
The daily trips between Fort Kochi, Vypeen and Ernakulam have plummeted from 62 to 35,” said West Kochi passengers’ association president M M Abbas. We are not against SWTD increasing the ticket charge to Rs 10 as recommended by a Natpac study.
But the scaling down of the operations is affecting the commoners,” said Padmanabha Mallya, a resident of Fort Kochi. SWTD officials said operations will normalise once the boats under repair are deployed back. “With a Water Metro terminal being built near the Ernakulam boat jetty, SWTD is scaling back local operations and focusing more on regions like Alappuzha. “A majority of the commuters hail from poor or middle-class families.