Kochi: The wait by tourists and local residents for full-fledged Roll-on Roll-off (Ro-Ro) services in Fort Kochi-Vypeen section is likely to prolong with the Kerala State Inland Navigation Corporation yet again hit by driver shortage.
Though two modern Ro-Ro vessels were introduced on April 28, the agency is yet to run the second Ro-Ro throughout the day as promised. This has resulted in long queues of vehicles, especially at Fort Kochi with major events like Kochi Muziris Biennale and New Year-eve celebrations going on.
“Only one Ro-Ro vessel is deployed from morning to evening. The other is used for trial and training purpose for weeks now. Even the trial is done post noon only. This has resulted in long queues at both jetties,” said Francis Chammany, president, Vypeen Fort Kochi Ferry Passengers Association.
However, the KSINC is facing a dearth of expert drivers to pilot the modern vessels once again after four of the five trainee drivers quit mid-way.
“Now we’ve only two expert drivers besides the one who got training to anchor the vessel at difficult locations like Vypeen where the existing jetty is constructed unscientifically. Four candidates quit midway which forced us to further delay the deployment of the second vessel. However, we’re operating it post-noon with the existing crew,” the official said.
Meanwhile, the Vypeen- Fort Kochi Ferry Passengers Association alleged that the KSINC was delaying full deployment.
“Upon deployment of both the RoRo vessels, they will be forced to stop the existing ferry service. The Kochi Corporation is paying nearly Rs 33,000 for operating the boat service and the agency doesn’t want to lose out on the money. The corporation also remains a mute spectator. We’ll launch a strike if the situation continues like this," Mr Chammany said.
