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‘There is no drinking water facility or shops to purchase snacks’

Though the new tourist jetty constructed at a cost of Rs. 2.26 crore was inaugurated with much fanfare three weeks ago at the Malpe beach here, it is not being used by the tourist boats, which ferry tourists from the beach to the St. Mary’s Island.

The palm fringed St. Mary’s Island, a popular tourist destination, which is a 30-minute boat ride from Malpe beach, has basalt rock formations jutting out in different shapes.

The new jetty was constructed as the existing jetty within the Malpe fisheries harbour was congested with berthing facility for a lone boat and posed difficulty for women, children and senior citizens while mounting and dismounting from boats.

The tourist boat facility is available during off-monsoon months usually from mid-September to mid-May (depending on the condition of the sea). The tickets are priced at Rs. 110 per adult and Rs. 50 per child. There is rush during the weekends and holidays for a trip to the island compared to the weekdays. “There are three private boats, – each carrying up to 60 passengers. During season, the tourist boats make eight or more tips. But it can be as low as two or three trips if the season is slack,” said Sandhya, ticket issuer at the jetty.

The new jetty provides berthing for two big passenger boats and a small passenger boat at the same time, and has landing platforms making it easier for passengers to mount and dismount.

However, the new jetty lacks basic facilities. There is no road to up to the new jetty. Hence, vehicles cannot reach the jetty. “There is no drinking water facility or shops to purchase snacks or a shady area for people to stand,” said Ganesh Amin, proprietor of Rajarajeshwari tourist boat. Already one of the steel railings at the new jetty has got twisted. A tourist boat owner said that the new jetty was likely to pose same problems to tourists while mounting and dismounting as it was constructed close to the estuary point.

“High waves and speeding boats will shake our tourist boats. The steel railings should have been constructed at least one-and-a-half metre away so that the tent of boat does not hit it,” he said.

Reaction

P. Nagaraj, Assistant Director of Tourism, told The Hindu that a proposal of Rs. 80 lakh had been prepared for construction of road, laying of interlocking tiles for vehicle parking facility and a shady area with benches.

“We expect these works to be completed by January-end. Tourist boats operate from 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., while fishing boats go out early in the morning and return late in the evening. Hence, their movement will not disturb the tourist boats or tourists,” he said.