To enjoy additional benefits
CONNECT WITH US
October 15, 2023 10:51 pm | Updated October 16, 2023 01:02 pm IST – NAGAPATTINAM
COMMents
SHARE
READ LATER
The passenger ferry service between Nagapattinam and Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka at Nagapattinam port that was flagged off on October 14, 2023. File | Photo Credit: N. Sai Charan
A day after its launch, the operation of the high-speed passenger ferry service between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Kankesanthurai in the northern province of Sri Lanka was cancelled on Sunday.
The frequency of operation has been rescheduled to thrice a week before its scheduled suspension after October 23.
To get today’s top stories from the State in your inbox, subscribe to our Tamil Nadu Today newsletter
After a gap of nearly four decades, the ferry service between India and Sri Lanka resumed on Saturday with Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Tamil Nadu Ministers E.V. Velu and S. Regupathy flagging off the high-speed craft (HSC) Cheriyapani at the Nagapattinam port. The ferry had a 14-member crew and 50 passengers onboard while it left for Sri Lanka and around 30 passengers were onboard the vessel in its return journey from Kankesanthurai the same evening.
Earlier, the Shipping Corporation of India and Tamil Nadu Maritime Board had planned to operate the ferry service every day from October 14 for ten days and suspend its operation after October 23 till January owing to onset of the northeast monsoon as the vessel was not suitable for operation during rough weather conditions, official sources said.
As per the revised schedule, the ferry would ply between the two nations only on October 16, 18, 20, and 23, sources said, adding that the change had been made to optimise operations by conducting test runs.
Meanwhile, the Nagapattinam District Small and Tiny Industries Association has demanded that infrastructure be upgraded at the Nagapattinam port to handle container ships.
In a letter to Mr. Sonowal, the association said that there were no ports with the requisite infrastructure to handle container ships between Chennai and Thoothukudi on the eastern coast and pointed out that household articles and commodities, including onion, had been exported to Singapore and Malaysia from Nagapattinam port in the past.
It further said that infrastructural development at the port was crucial for creating employment opportunities for the locals and people from the neighbouring Mayiladuthurai, Thanjavur, and Tiruvarur districts, and for the economic growth of the Cauvery delta region.
COMMents
SHARE
shipping service / India-Sri Lanka
BACK TO TOP
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.
