Kochi : Kochi Water Metro Ltd (KWML) is facing a critical operational bottleneck as it lacks a dedicated boat maintenance and repair facility. As India’s first water metro expands its fleet and routes, the absence of an in-house boatyard threatens the long-term sustainability of the entire system.
Also, Brahmapuram bridge needs to be reconstructed to increase its vertical clearance from 2.25m to 5.5m, ensuring safe passage for Water Metro vessels,” the official said.
However, negotiations for the land hit a deadlock when Kerala State Road Transport Corporation demanded market rate prices, which was beyond our capability,” said a senior official. “We had identified five acres behind KSRTC JNNURM bus station at Thevara to build a multi-modal transport hub and maintenance yard. A five-acre govt plot near Vallarpadam was another alternative. However, competing interest from Cochin Shipyard led to intervention from Prime Minister’s office, requesting that the land be allocated to the shipyard instead. “The Kozhichira bund is a barrier. Either it should be removed permanently or modified to allow year-round boat movement.