Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijaya.
Credit: PTI Photo
Kochi: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarai Vijayan inaugurated four new terminals of the Kochi Water Metro service on Thursday.
The terminals are Mulavukad North, South Chittoor, Eloor and Cheranellur.
Speaking at the event over videoconference, Vijayan said around one lakh people would benefit from these new Water Metro stations.
As Kochi is the business capital of Kerala, the most important thing to do here is to provide effective transportation facilities to the people living in the islands connected to the city, he said.
'We have approached our commitment with utmost seriousness. More people will benefit from this service. The saying 'What Kerala thinks today, India thinks tomorrow' is becoming a reality and that's why other states are approaching us for advanced Water Metro vessels,' Vijayan added.
He said the Left government is of the stand that basic infrastructure should benefit the society as a whole and keeping that in mind, the Left government has implemented developmental projects including the GAIL pipeline, LNG terminal, City Gas project, power highway, the national Waterway project, the high-range highway among other projects.
'The new terminals will improve connectivity between the islands and the mainland in Kochi. Currently, there are 13 air-conditioned water metro boats ferrying people between High Court jn, Vypin, Bolgatty, Vyttila and Kakkanad terminals. The Fort Kochi route will start soon,' the chief minister said.
The Water Metro project, a first in the country, was inaugurated in April 2023 and is a socially inclusive transport option connecting 10 islands along a 78-kilometre network.
The panoramic windows of the vessels provide a visual treat of the scenic backwaters of Kochi and will ferry city residents across 15 proposed water routes.
The flagship Water Metro project of the Left front government, set up at a cost of Rs 1,136.83 crore in the port city, will connect the 10 islands using 78 electric boats and 38 terminals, once fully operational.
The Kochi Water Metro service is fully funded by the Kerala government and KfW, a German funding agency.