New ferry service to ease road congestion

By Manjula FERNANDO

Fancy a congestion free, sweat free, low cost and time saving ride to your work place! No, it's not some sort of a wicked joke. You are soon to enjoy this joy ride along many waterways within the Colombo city. The Sri Lanka Navy last week pioneered its first public ferry service along Kirillapone canal, linking Nawala and Wellawatte.We were seated on a line of plastic chairs, waiting to board the ferry near Open University at Nawala. The cool breeze of the evening air helped ease the heat of the day as it played games with loose locks of my hair on the face. We were waiting for a group of university students who were making use of this service since its initiation in late February this year.

"They will come at any moment," MCPO D.Karunasena who is in charge of the biggest ferry on the canal said. He is in charge of the new 30-seater lagoon craft that had been put to use after the ferry service was opened to the public on June 1."We are yet to draw large crowds. The Open University students are very much used to our service now.

They patronise it but we would like to see many people seeking this hassle-free ride from Wellawatte to Nawala," added Karunasena."We are yet to receive the full attention of the people although increasing numbers are making inquiries about our schedules,"He said the people need time to get the hang of it. The ride to Wellawatte from Nawala takes less than 20 minutes and costs just Rs. 20 for the ordinary commuter. From the students they charge a mere Rs.10. "It's ideal for commuters from down south to get to Nawala, Kotte and beyond. If one takes the bus from that end to Nawala it will cost them nearly Rs.30 and about 45 minutes on a peak hour," a sailor manning the craft chipped in.

Presently it operates a Nawala bound service from Wellawatte between 7.30 am to 9.30 am daily and back to Wellawatte between 4.00 p.m. and 6.00 p.m. to Wellawatte.

"We would like to expand this further with the increasing demand," Karunasena said.The ferry stations are located near the Open University in Nawala and St.Peters College, Bambalapitiya. There is a boarding point near the Highlevel Road where the Kirillapone canal crosses the road at Havelock Town.

"Students want to extend the service up to Wellawatte railway station so that it is convenient for them to catch the evening trains. We will certainly consider their plea as soon as we establish a full service," Karunasena said."We have given priority for the safety of passengers. We will not compromise their safety at any cost," the Navy spokesperson Athula Senarath said.He said the boats are manned by three sailors with special training on life saving skills and a well equipped life guard craft always tails the ferries.

The ferry ride was free of charge from February to June. Since its launch as a public transport service the Navy has started charging a nominal fee so as to cover part of the costs. The fleet consists of six smaller 12 seater boats and a 30 seater lagoon craft equipped with life jackets for all the passengers and other facilities as well. These fibreglass boats were locally manufactured in Welisara Naval base under the Inshore Petrol Craft construction project.

Launched on a concept by Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa the Navy plans to expand the service to the four corners of the city and Navy Commander Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe is personally involved in getting the job done expeditiously.

Capt. Senarath said they have already begun restoring the other canals in the Colombo city. The Land Reclamation and Development Corporation and the Urban Development Authority are helping the Navy to renovate the canal network while the Central Environment Authority creates awareness among the people masses on waste management and preservation of the canals, in particular among the dwellers along either side of the waterways.

The clearing of the Kirillapone canal up to Battaramulla is almost over and work on Dehiwala Canal that links Kirillapone to Dehiwala is in progress.Capt. Senarath said they have completed 75% of the work in the Dematagoda canal which links Polhengoda to Dematagoda. The renovation of St.Sebestian canal that stretches from Peliyagoda to Beira Lake is yet to be undertaken.

When the Navy ferry service is in full bloom it will be manning ferries near all entry points to the Colombo city. It could contribute in a major way to ease the traffic flow and in turn become a major stress buster for Colombo road users.

MCPO Karunasena said the Navy deployed a contingent of over 200 sailors last week to clear the St. Sebastian canal.

Karunasena said they hope to increase their 30 seater fleet up to 20 boats shortly and the craft are at the moment being built at the Welisara Naval base.

Our mission (I was accompanied by my friend and colleague Ranil Wijayapala) was to get a first hand experience of this new passenger transport before writing a piece for this Sunday. With the students and some ordinary passengers we set off on 'our pleasure' ride.

As it turned out to be we enjoyed every bit of it and saw Colombo through an entirely new angle - a beauty mixed with the way of life of not-so-rich city dwellers. It was an experience that no one ought to miss!