Kerala - Kochi   

New ship to boost Lakshadweep tourism potential

TOURISM INITIATIVE: Lakshadweep Administrator B.V. Selvaraj dedicating the new passenger ship mv Kavaratti at a ceremony at the Willingdon Island on Sunday.

KOCHI: The new ship from Kochi to Lakshadweep, mv Kavaratti, which was ‘dedicated to the people’ on Sunday, is expected to give a boost to tourism in the Union Territory.

The 700-seat all-weather ship, with modern amenities and latest navigation tools, has 300 upper-class seats, many of which will be allotted to tourists.

Lakshadweep Administrator B.V. Selvaraj, who dedicated the ship, hoped the ship would help attract more tourists to the group of islands and said the administration was planning to make Lakshadweep the ‘Maldives of India.’

Speaking after dedicating the ship, Mr. Selvaraj said tourism would be promoted without hurting the local culture and traditions and the ethnicity of the islanders. Of the roughly 40 islands in the chains of islands, only 11 have human habitation. The uninhabited islands would be used for promoting tourism, he said. He pointed out that the ship’s fare would be subsided for the islanders, but tourists would have to pay a ‘much higher fare.’ The tourists’ fare was expected to meet part of the ship’s cost of operation.

Several hundred people from the islands showed up at the dedication ceremony and greeted the ship, which was described as a ‘gift of God to the people of Lakshadweep.’ Folk dances were staged to mark the occasion.

Lakshadweep MP P. Pookunji Koya recalled that the ship was to have been delivered more than five years ago, but because of the financial and administrative problems at the Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Visakhapatnam, the delivery was delayed by several years. Kochi Customs Commissioner B. Syed Mohammed, Cochin Port Chairman P. Ramachandran and the chief surveyor in the office of the Director General of Shipping Ajoy Chatterjee, chief counsellor of Lakshadweep Jalaludheen Koya and the director of shipping and navigation Hamza Koya spoke.

Security officials had to hold back a large section of excited islanders who wanted to go inside the ship. mv Kavaratti is expected to substantially reduce the islanders’ travel woes. Currently only two old limited capacity ships ferry passengers and cargo between Kochi and the island during the monsoon season. The other ships, which are fair-weather vessels, cannot run service in the rough sea. The new all-weather ship will be especially useful during the monsoon. It is likely to sail out on its maiden voyage by the middle of this month.

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