More than 20 years after ferry services between India and Sri Lanka were discontinued, a passenger ship Scotia Prince which sailed from Tuticorin port to Colombo on Monday afternoon arrived in Sri Lanka this morning. Union shipping minister G K Vasan flagged off the vessel, 105 years after the first swadeshi ship S S Gaelia sailed this route.
Passenger ferry services were operated between Rameswaram and Mannar in Sri Lanka till 1983, when they were discontinued due to the ethnic violence there. Last year, the government decided to launch a passenger ferry service with a luxury liner as an alternative mode of travel between the two nations. Customs and immigration terminals were set up in Tuticorin V O C Port this January.
The move is also likely to boost trade relations between India and Sri Lanka. But on Monday, most of the 221 passengers on board were Port Trust employees as the launch function was arranged in a bit of a hurry.
With the Tamil Nadu government demanding economic sanctions against Sri Lanka, there was some uncertainty about the launch. But the shipping ministry had promised to start the service in mid-June and so invitation cards were printed and distributed on Sunday.
P Gandhi, a former port trust employee and son of a freedom fighter, said it was a privilege to travel on the ship because he was proud of the swadeshi movement and of V O Chidambaram who put Tuticorin on the map in the Indian freedom struggle. “This was his dream,” he said, adding that it was his first trip abroad.
For S Shajahan, the trip was purely about business and he had booked a group of 20 people on board. “I got a group concession and these people will be helping me carry and sell textiles in Sri Lanka,” he said.
Each passenger is allowed free baggage of 100kg and an additional 100kg at a minimal cost, which turns out cheaper than freight charges. So, Shajahan is using the 20 people to transport 800kg of textiles.
R Srinivasalu, a migrant from Andhra Pradesh living in Tuticorin for the past 10 years, is one of Shajahan’s carriers’. “We are carrying the goods and then will do some sightseeing and return,” Srinivasalu said.
The Scotia Prince is a 143m-long luxury liner with nine decks and can carry 1,040 passengers. It has a lounge, restaurants, cafes bars and casinos. The service will leave Tuticorin at 6pm on Wednesdays and Fridays and reach Colombo at 8am the next day. Fares range from Rs 2,243 per person for economy class to Rs 14,663 for a first class cabin with three berths.
V O C Port Trust Chairman A Subbiah said the service would go a long way to strengthen ties between the two nations and will also boost tourism. Times of India