The Kochi Corporation has requested the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) to release one of the two container roll-on roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessels to operate in the Fort Kochi-Bolgatti Island corridor as it will take about a week It may seem Repairs Setusagar-2, A Ro-Ro ferry that was taken out of service on Monday from the busy Vypin-Fort Kochi route, it is learnt.

Container Ro-Ro was introduced on the Bolgatty route earlier this year Setusagar-1 It was withdrawn from service in November after a technical fault. The container ro-ro was withdrawn after one week of service due to low patronage. Setusagar-1 Still out of service and awaiting dry docking at Cochin Shipyard.

Sources in the Kochi Corporation said that they will give wide publicity to the container ro-ro service so that motorists and other passengers can make use of it. Also trying to drydock Setusagar-1,

Sources in the Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC), which operates and maintains Ro-Ro vessels, said the clutch assembly kit was awaited. Setusagar-1 Will be established in from the Netherlands Setusagar-2, It has reached Goa and will be delivered here in a few days. It costs ₹22 lakh per piece, and such expensive equipment cannot be stored in advance. He said that it would have been better if Indian components were trusted.

Regular ro-ro passengers like Vypin resident Denson Peter said such issues could have been addressed if a third ro-ro vessel (for which Rs 10 crore had been earmarked in the state budget) was built and the container Till then Ro-Ro was engaged in service. “The government should also decide on an underwater tunnel, which experts had suggested, to connect Vypin and Fort Kochi, making it part of the coastal highway,” he added.

Source: bharattimes