Er.. can we have more boats to Mattanchery?

KOCHI: The Mattanchery Boat Jetty remains in a neglected condition and the boat services to the jetty from Ernakulam have also come down over the years.BMS secretary and Mattanchery resident , Vishwanath S said, “We have been suffering for quite some time because the number of boat services to our region by the KSWTC is being cut down tremendously.” Traders fear that this situation, if not dealt with, can lead to a drop in the inflow of tourists to Mattanchery.A trader Jaleel S said,”People are left to depend on the Fort Kochi boat jetty services, which is proving to be a major burden for them.Sometimes, the boats don’t arrive to the boat jetty on time and people are forced to wait for hours to avail the services.Mattanchery mostly constitute people who depend on fishing and other activities for their livelihood.” When asked, the KSWTC authorities say that the formation of moulds of sand at the shores are posing a difficulty in bringing the boats close to the shore and are inadvertently destroying the boats.“Unless, the irrigation department takes an action to desilt the water close to the shores, the KSWTC will not prefer sending the boats to the Mattanchery Boat Jetty,” P Renjan, Ernakulam Station Master, said.Councillor Rajitha S said, “Now, the issue has become more serious mainly because the boat services have been reduced tremendously.However, we cannot do anything until the people make a written complaint to us.” Meanwhile, the irrigation department officials said that the estimate has been taken and paper works are in progress to desilt the sand formation near the jetty. To make their demands heard, the Janakiya Samithi at Mattanchery, are planning to go on a strike at the Mattanchery Boat Jetty on Nov 9.