The roar of diesel-powered engines is back on the placid backwaters of Central Kerala after nearly two months.
The passenger boats of the State Water Transport Department (SWTD), which underwent a major makeover during the lockdown, are scheduled to resume its operations from ten stations on Wednesday.
To begin with, the department will operate 20 out of its 53 daily passenger schedules while the full-scale restoration of operations will be in line with the easing of lockdown restrictions. “The operations in the first phase will be limited to water-locked villages in Kottayam, Alappuzha, and in north Malabar, besides a limited number of ferry services in Kochi city. All services will be carried out between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.,” said Shaji V. Nair, Director, SWTD.
No inter-district sectors, including the Vaikom-Thavanakkadavu route, the busiest water route, will be operated for the time being. However, a couple of interior destinations such as R-Block at Kumarakom and Perumbalam Island in Alappuzha may have extended connectivity to the nearest towns in neighbouring districts.
The department has initiated an upward revision of its ticket fares, taking the minimum charge to ₹8. “The fares have been increased up to 33% in line with a government directive to cover the prospective fall in overall revenue,” the official added.
Only 50% of the people as compared to full strength earlier are allowed on the boats. Passengers are required to wear masks while they will be provided hand-sanitisers on board.
Major cleaning
As many as 60 operational boats and 14 stations of the SWTD underwent a major cleaning and maintenance operation by its employees during the lockdown period. The initiative, carried out as part of the ‘Cleaning Challenge’, launched by the department, witnessed the participation of around 750 employees in the operation wing.
The employees in different teams cleaned and repainted all operational boats at their respective stations, besides carrying out maintenance work at the engine and hull side. On completion of the work on each boat, the station-in-charge was required to send the photographs to the SWTD Director and the respective traffic superintendents. Selected teams will be awarded prizes after the lockdown.
