Noticing the increased number of stranded Lakshadweep passengers in the absence of sufficient ship services to the island, the port authorities here have requested their counterparts in Lakshadweep to make the required arrangements for addressing travellers’ concerns.
Beypore Port Officer K. Ashwini Prathap said the issue could be addressed only with the appropriate intervention of the Lakshadweep administration and people’s representatives. He said the stoppage of speed crafts between Lakshadweep and Kerala ports following adverse weather conditions was also a reason for the rush.
Just two services
For the passengers, only two ships are now operational between Kochi and Lakshadweep following monsoon-related regulations. And, there is no service now between Beypore and the island. Only limited tickets are being issued from here for facilitating the passengers’ journey from Kochi. The details of nearly 800 stranded passengers in the city came out after their frequent attempts to secure tickets failed to materialise.
Many of the stranded passengers are those who came to the city for education, treatment, or business. With the continuing uncertainty over the service, they are now in a situation to stay back in various rented facilities, lodges, and hotels in the city. The Lakshadweep administration is yet to respond to the request of their representatives though efforts were reportedly on to repair two previously operated ships.
According to some stranded Lakshadweep passengers, the suspension of service by MV Minicoy and MV Amin Deevi from Beypore had been troubling them for long. Now, only two out of the seven previously operated vessels are conducting service, and that too from Kochi with limited options for a majority of passengers in queue, they said.
Memorandum submitted
Some stranded passengers have also submitted a memorandum to the Lakshadweep authorities working here for a speedy solution to the issue. According to them, only 20 passengers were issued tickets from Beypore last week to travel by a ship that leaves Kochi on Tuesday. They also pointed out that Beypore was getting only a very poor percentage of the total available tickets in the two operational vessels.
