Ferry service, a thing of the past

By Mohammed Naalir

The construction of a bridge along the Kinniya bay in the Trincomalee district is considered as the gateway to the economic prosperity of Kinniya and the surrounding areas. The tourism industry will also benefit by this historic bridge.

The Kinniya Divisional Secretariat division located along the Eastern coastal belt in the Trincomalee District has been gifted with many natural resources. The Kinniya bridge connects Wellaimanal to Kinniya. Ferries were the only mode to transport goods, vehicles and passengers across the bay so far. The Mahinda Chinthana national development concept has helped to materialise the long felt need of the people in the region for a bridge.

Sri Lanka's longest bridge constructed with financial assistance from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was opened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on October 20, 2009.

As the transport issue of the area was solved domestic industries such as salt and sea snail crushing industry are also improving. It has become a boon to the tourism sector, both in the domestic and foreign sectors. According to the Kinniya Divisional Secretariat, nearly 50,000 domestic tourists visited the bridge last year. The Kinniya bridge also provides easy access to Sri Lanka's natural tourism attraction, the Marble beach in Kinniya.

An aerial view of Kinniya bridge Kinniya bridge

With the arrival of tourists the handicraft industry has been boosted, and new tourist hotels have come up in the area. Some houses too have been converted into guest houses to provide accommodation to the visitors.

Although the bridge is a gateway to the economic prosperity of the area, it has some negative impacts as well.

Residents say some areas that are unlit are being misused by lovers during the night. Some children's parks have also become the asylum of lovers during the night. These activities were not seen before the opening of the bridge. The people in the region request the authorities to stop such activities.

The Kinniya Urban Council has installed lights at suitable locations to prevent the misuse of parks and other areas. Before the bridge was built, development and other construction activities in the area took place amidst immense difficulties. There was little access for heavy vehicles.

The Thambalagamuwa main road was the only access to enter and leave Kinniya. Kinniya was virtually separated from the other parts of the District. Due to the unavailability of resources and poor communication with other areas the economy of the area was crippled.

With the opening of the bridge, raw materials are brought on time and the harvest reaches the market promptly without allowing the goods to perish. Government servants employed in the Trincomalee city benefited immensely. They had to spend long hours earlier waiting for ferry boats. Now they could cut down on the additional expenditure after the opening of the bridge. Those wishing to cross the lagoon had to wait for more than one and a half hours at the jetty waiting for the ferry boat.

Now people are able to cross the Kinniya bay via the new bridge in minutes. Prior to the erection of the bridge it took nearly three hours to get to Trincomalee.

The Divisional Secretary C. Krishnendran, said: "people in Kinniya experienced untold hardships due to the old ferry boat service.

There were a lot of deficiencies in the service. There were only two ferry boats but sometimes only one was in operation. This was the only mode of transport for nearly 80,000 people in the area.

"The small ferries could accommodate only a few passengers. The journey on a ferry was a journey between life and death. When vehicles were transported several vehicles had fallen into the lagoon from the ferries. Only 60 to 70 persons can be accommodated on board the ferry.

"The number decreases when vehicles are transported on board, and only 20 to 30 foot passengers can be accommodated.

As the price of fuel and spare parts increased, the Road Development Authority restricted the number of ferry journey per day. With the opening of the bridge the expenditure of the RDA has reduced, Krishnnendran said. A large number of vehicles transporting vegetables and other produce ply via the Kinniya bridge to Trincomalee and other parts of the District.

As Kinniya is located close to the lagoon there are abundant aquatic resources. On the other hand as Kinniya is located close to the Mahaweli river there are enough facilities to uplift agricultural activities in the area.

There is a great deal of aquatic resources in Kinniya which could be exported to foreign countries. Many residents are engaged in mining sea shells.

One could earn more than Rs. 2000 per day by selling sea shells. A large number of businessmen are engaged in transporting sea shells to other parts of the country from Kinniya. The fish caught in the Kinniya sea area is being transported to Colombo and other areas via the Kinniya bridge.

Opportunities have arisen for entrepreneurs to strengthen their businesses. Nearly 200 vegetable sellers use the bridge daily to take their produce to Trincomalee and other parts of the country.

The handicraft industry has also received a boost.

People who travel to Seruwila and Muttur now use the Kinniya route. Prior to the floods, people used this route to go to Batticaloa and Ampara. Through the journey via Kinniya passengers can save more than three hours of their travel time.