The Hindu Business Line : Another vessel for backwater tourism in Kerala

IN view of the enthusiastic response from tourists to backwater cruise, the Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) is in the process of launching one more vessel as part of its backwater tourism promotion initiatives.

The KSINC Managing Director, Mr K. N. Satheesh, said that the Corporation would soon deploy one more vessel, which was recently taken over from the District Tourist Promotion Council, Kollam for a facelift.

The vessel Ashtamudi was taken over by the Corporation after providing a token payment of Re 1 so as to convert itinto a modern vessel, which can be operated in the backwaters to promote tourism.

The maintenance work is expected to cost around Rs 30 lakh, which would be completed in six months. KSINC had brought the vessel to its Slipway Complex at Thoppumpady by toying the vessel through the backwaters from Kollam. It was a very difficult voyage to tug the vessel through the backwaters.

The roof and chimney were removed so that they did not ram into low-lying bridges. It could not be taken through the sea due to some holes in the hull, said Mr Satheesh.

After completion of the work, the vessel will be deployed either in the backwaters of Kollam or Kochi for sight seeing purposes. However, a decision in this regard will be taken by the KSINC Board, he said.

Referring to the package offered by Sagara Rani, which was launched by KSINC about two months back, Mr Satheesh said that there has been a good response from tourists, especially for exclusive bookings. The sunset cruise tops the demand list, as the ship goes well into the sea for two hours. KSINC is charging Rs 200 per head. Last month, the Corporation had able to fetch Rs 2 lakh from its tourism cruise through the backwaters, he said, adding that this was achieved even without a full-fledged marketing strategy.

Ashtamudi was in a half sunken state for more than a year at the Ashramam Adventure Park, Kollam. The boat was used for sight seeing around Ashtamudi Lake. As in the case of Sagara Rani, this vessel was also constructed at Cochin Shipyard Ltd in 1992.

Most of the costly accessories such as fans and bulbs were stolen from the vessel and the railings and the floor in the exteriors of the boat are badly corroded.

The condition of the upper deck is worse and resembles a metal scrap yard. Like Sagara Rani, Ashtamudi can also be deployed in the sea, as it has two power horse engines that can ply 15 nautical miles.