Lighthouse glass lift to boost Kerala tourism

KOLLAM: As part of promoting lighthouse tourism, the lighthouse in Thangassery here got a major facelift. The 135-feet high lighthouse which is the mascot of the port city of Kollam will now have a glass lift enabling visitors to climb atop the lighthouse effortlessly. The director-general of Lighthouses and Light ships J.S. Chauhan will inaugurate the facility by 4 pm on Saturday and the lighthouse, which has been closed for maintenance works for the last two months, will be open to the public.

“We anticipate a hike in the number of visitors especially, old age people who were refrained from climbing the steps. The lift has been constructed by spending '80 lakh as part of lighthouse tourism project. The light has its walls made of glass offering the view of its spiral stairs. The lift can accommodate four persons at a time and reaches the service pltform at the top within 30 seconds,” said Salim Jose, head lightkeeper of the lighthouse.

Along with the lift, interested visitors can also use the existing staircase to climb the 115-year-old monument. The entry fee to the lighthouse for adults is Rs 20 while for children, it is Rs 10. The lighthouse was closed for the construction on September 1, and had a timely completion as announced earlier.