Ferry service between India and Sri Lanka set to resume on May 13 with slashed ticket prices

Colombo, May 1 The halted ferry service between India's Nagapattinam and Sri Lanka's Kankesanthurai is set to resume from May 13 with a cut in passenger fares, the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) has announced.

The passenger ferry service that was restarted on October 14 last year after a break of nearly four decades had to be halted in November due to the North-East monsoon.

The ferry service will be relaunched with many waived-off charges so that it benefits the passengers from both countries, Lal Weerasinghe, Additional Managing Director (Operations), SLPA, told IANS.

"To encourage tourism and exchange of people between the two neighbouring countries, a Cabinet paper has been submitted to waive most of the charges. So the cost will be much cheaper. The Sri Lanka Ports Authority has a very limited charge, therefore it will act as an encouragement to cut down respective costs for the operators and the passengers eventually," Weerasinghe said.

When the ferry service was resumed on October 14 last year, one of the complaints was the exuberant ticket rate with the one-way 60 nautical mile (110 km) trip costing around $78 excluding additional taxes.

Scheduled to be operated by a private entity - IndSri Ferry Services Private Limited - from May 13, a return ticket from the Nagapattinam port in Tamil Nadu to Kankesanthurai in Jaffna district in Sri Lanka's northern province will now be priced at $50, plus taxes.

Weerasinghe, who handled the ferry service's five calls last year, said the Ministry Secretary is scheduled to hold a final meeting with all the stakeholders involved for the resumption of the service.

While the SLPA handles the operations just like the airport authorities of flight service, there are other stakeholders - including government agencies such as immigration, Customs, health, and authorities like plant quarantine, etc. - that are needed for operating the ferry service.

Ports, Shipping, and Aviation Ministry Secretary, K.D.S. Ruwanchandra, confirmed with IANS that all arrangements have been made to resume the ferry service from May 13.

"We are ready to resume operations and all the government stakeholders are ready," Ruwanchandra said.

He also revealed that permission has been granted to the new ferry with 150 seats for which seaworthiness has been assured by the Indian government.

The vessel will leave Nagapattnam early in the morning and arrive at the Kankesanthurai harbour before noon. The vessel will leave after two hours.

"They have given us only two hours for disembarkation and embarkation and we have to clear the loading facilities within that period," Weerasinghe said.

Last month, the Indian government announced a grant of $61.5 million to fully develop the Port of Kankesanthurai (KKS) which has been constructed by the SLPA at a cost of 500 million Sri Lankan rupee ($1.7 million).

Meanwhile, the senior SLPA official also said that Sri Lanka is looking for investments to resume the Rameswaram-Talaimannar ferry service.

"We are encouraging the investors, including those from India, to invest in developing the infrastructure as the Talaimannar Pier is in a dilapidated condition. Without a concrete commitment to operate a service, the SLPA is also a little reluctant to invest money," Weerasinghe said.

The process of acquiring land from the Sri Lanka Railways has also been initiated.

Started way back in 1914 under colonial rule, the service was operated by the Ceylon Government Railway and the South Indian Railway. It was first partially stopped due to a cyclone in 1964, and then came to a complete standstill when the civil war started between the Tamil rebels and the Sri Lankan army in 1984.

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