News
Indo-Lanka ferry service on choppy waters, hit by teething problems
“Cheriyapani”, the new ferry from Kankesanthurai (KKS) in Jaffna to Nagapattinam in India can seat 150 passengers
The Indo-Lanka ferry, which was re-launched on October 14, amidst much fanfare, has been halted owing to the North-East monsoon but will reopen in January.
Passengers hope that many of the teething problems that had marked its recommencement would have been resolved by then. For instance, while the Sri Lanka Government spent Rs. 450mn to build a new passenger terminal, the infrastructure needed for customs and immigration, including IT, inspection facilities and office equipment, was not ready, official sources said.
There wasn’t enough staff from customs and immigration to handle passengers. Consequently, some incoming passengers–notably merchants taking advantage of the 50kg baggage allowance–were stalled at the terminal for four to five hours after an already gruelling four-hour journey.
Named the “Cheriyapani”, the new ferry from Kankesanthurai (KKS) in Jaffna to Nagapattinam in India can seat 150 passengers. It has so far not run at full capacity. A total of around 200 passengers arrived in Sri Lanka on four trips (before the service was halted) with about 150 departures.
K. Premanandan, the CEO of the Northern Chamber of Commerce with a membership of 101 small and medium-sized enterprises, said that in addition to the long sea voyage, the eight-hour journey from Nagapattinam to Chennai was difficult for merchants. “Still, because of the low cost we are encouraging our members to use the service,” he said.
The navy had played a key role in smoothing over the logistical shortcomings. For instance, it had been the Northern naval command that had convened meetings between stakeholders–including the operators, Asha Agency, the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, customs and immigration, quarantine services and intelligence. The navy also carried out body checks and provided terminal security.
However, the navy’s heavy involvement might also be a problem. Sources based in the North said that, while the ferry was beneficial to the surrounding community, they could be discouraged from using owing to unreliability (as it was already suspended due to bad weather) and the strong naval presence and participation which intimidates the locals.
Another issue is related to visas. On the Indian side in Nagapattinam, passenger service facilities were newly installed. But a ship source said they cannot scan e-visa bar codes. Many people in Jaffna have e-visas which, unlike stamp visas, are one-year multiple entry. So, many potential passengers cannot use the ferry without giving up their valuable multiple-entry visas to India.
Despite these obstacles, the service’s launch was advanced to beat the oncoming monsoon, and reportedly due to pressure from the Indian Government. Meanwhile, plans for the Thalaimannar-Rameshwaram ferry are underway, said K.D.S Ruwanchandra, Secretary to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Aviation. But the pier, currently owned by Sri Lanka Railways, is damaged and will first need to be rebuilt, along with a new terminal and quay wall.
The Indian High Commission said an assessment was being done of what infrastructure was required to commence services as early as possible.
| Sailing back in time | |
 When the historic Indo-Lanka ferry service began in 1914, there were two ships that did the 45-minute trip between Thalaimannar in Sri Lanka’s North and Danushkodi in India’s South. They were named “Irvin” and “Goschen”.A cyclone grounded “Goschen” in 1964. The other, renamed “Ramanjuam”, continued transporting passengers until its last trip on October 26, 1984. And for those entire two eventful decades, S. V. Emmanuel was its General Manager.Now 83, Mr. Emmanuel is retired and lives in Kotahena. “There were so many people who would come that we would often run out of seats,” he recalls. “Jaffna people would come in vans so they can arrive early morning and secure a seat. Others would fight to get on.” The Ramanujam could carry 800 passengers. Half of the seats were reserved for Indian Origin or Malaiyaha Tamils who were forcibly repatriated to India under the Srima-Shastri Pact which came into effect in 1964. Of the rest, 200 went to Indian tourists and 200 to Sri Lankan and foreign tourists and merchants. Friends and family that crowded the pier to bid the repatriated citizens goodbye in tears made operations difficult, Mr. Emmanuel said. Former President J.R. Jayewardene stopped the ferry alleging that the LTTE were using it to smuggle weapons. Emmanuel scoffed at the idea: “They never bothered with us. It’s such a shame. The ship just rotted. Throughout the period that the ferry operated, small boats continued to function illegally. The LTTE didn’t need to use the ferry at all.” These small fishing boats would take people to India to sell coconut oil, visit family or simply watch the latest Kollywood movie. “India had not yet liberalised so people would even smuggle TVs and electronics from here to there,” Emmanuel said. “Those boats continued to function, and the navy turned a blind eye to them. The navy and the maritime border were not like it is today.” In the mid-1980s, refugees who had fled the civil war to India started returning by boat. Hundreds were dying at sea when these capsized so the government set sail a new ship to help bring them back. By 1995, this special service was also stopped and all legal voyages across the Palk Strait came to a halt. Mr. Emmanuel speculates that political influence must have led to the Kankesanthurai-Nagapattinam ferry now being given priority. The travel time from Thalaimannar is much shorter and railway connections make it more convenient to get to big cities. “It must be political,” he said. “They even tried to start a Tuticorin-Colombo ferry, which was a failure. It just makes the most sense to operate from Thalaimannar and I hope they will do so soon because the benefit to the country will be great.” |
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