Now, free ride for women in Kochi Corporation’s ro-ro ferries

The Kochi Corporation council on Monday passed a resolution approving free travel for women passengers other than drivers on ro-ro vessels, toying with the United Democratic Front (UDF) government’s recent decision to implement a similar scheme on KSRTC ordinary buses earlier this month.

The resolution, introduced by Tax Appeal standing committee chairman KA Manaf, received full support from the ruling UDF councillors, while opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councilors neither fully supported nor opposed the resolution.

Announcing the adoption of the decision, Mayor VK Minimol said that the plan will be applied to women among the 50 carless passengers who are ticketed for each service. He added that the formalities regarding the application will be initiated shortly.

LDF parliamentary party leader VA Sreejith said he was not opposed to the measure as it would benefit women’s commuting, but warned against aggravating rising losses in ro-ro operations, which could pave the way for privatization of services.

Reiterating the caution, BJP councilor Priya Prashanth called for proper study and classification before implementation. “While not ignoring the importance of the outreach measure, it is important to fix the beneficiary category, given the huge responsibility the company currently bears for the service,” he said.

In contrast, ruling UDF councilor MG Aristotle argued that the service should eventually be made free for all categories of passengers, starting with women. He emphasized that the ro-ro service should not only be for profit but should be seen as a public service. “This move will be beneficial for women and should therefore be welcomed,” he said.

Earlier, while introducing the motion for the resolution, Mr. Manaf said that the resolution would be especially beneficial for domestic workers, temporary workers and ordinary women working in the fishing industry.

heated exchange

Meanwhile, the ruling and opposition councilors on Monday locked horns in the council meeting over the supplementary agreement signed by the civic body for extension of the contract for biological extraction of the remaining volume of old waste in Brahmapuram.

While the opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have questioned the legal validity of the no-tender agreement with Bhumi Green Energy, which is currently engaged in biomining, and expressed concerns over changes in the amount of old waste that has not yet been processed, the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) has patted itself on the back for quick action at an agreed rate.

Kozhikode-based National Institute of Technology (NIT) last week submitted a report to the Corporation pegging the total old waste, including scientifically sealed waste, at 3.22 lakh metric tonnes. Since the company has decided not to interfere with capped tailings, 1.96 lakh tonnes are left to be bio-extracted at a rate to be negotiated at ₹ 1,672 per metric tonne, i.e. ₹ 37 crore.