6 months ago
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The 7.36-km-long seawall built on the Chellanam–Puthenthode corridor successful West Kochi, on with the adjacent sprawling walkway, is emerging arsenic a fashionable tourer attraction successful Ernakulam district.
Built astatine a outgo of astir ₹344 crore and said to beryllium the longest of its benignant successful Kerala, determination is increasing request to instal benches and lights atop the seawall-cum-walkway to pull much visitors to the stretch, which has 16 entree points. “The seawall, constructed utilizing granite boulders and tetrapods, on with the 2.5-metre-wide walkway featuring a barricade connected the occidental broadside and the abundance of caller air, has successful caller times drawn thousands of radical from Kochi metropolis and adjacent neighbouring districts,” said V. T. Sebastian, wide convener of the Chellanam–Kochi Janakeeya Vedhi, which is astatine the forefront of the agitation demanding that the seawall beryllium extended up to Fort Kochi to forestall oversea incursion on the coast.
The walkway, built astatine a tallness of astir 3 metres from the shoreline, was completed successful 2024. Visitors see anglers arsenic good arsenic those who bask walking safely on the recently built stretch. Their main demand, helium added, is for benches and lights to beryllium installed by sponsors oregon tourism agencies truthful that radical could remainder and sojourn the country adjacent precocious successful the evening.
‘Extend walkway’
The Janakeeya Vedhi and different groups person stepped up their request to widen the walkway by different 6.5 km up to Fort Kochi, a task the authorities had assured successful 2023, present estimated to outgo astir ₹306 crore. Once completed, it would make a 14 km-long oversea wall-cum-beach walkway.
Responding to the request for benches and lights, sources successful the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) said the agency’s assembly gathering had discussed the matter. “These tin beryllium installed erstwhile the section assemblage oregon different acrophobic agencies contented a no-objection certificate (NOC). This would assistance pull much visitors, particularly since the scenic walkway is located beside the Alappuzha-Kochi coastal road. Infrastructure for parking would besides request to beryllium developed,” they added.
‘Triumph of resilience’
Referring to the seawall arsenic a triumph of resilience, practice enthusiast Mini Ulanat said she had witnessed Chellanam endure the sea’s fury each monsoon since childhood. “With the seawall successful place, it is heartening to spot locals and visitors enjoying peaceful walks on the walkway, watching the sunset. The information that galore different coastal areas are inactive battling the tides is simply a reminder that coastal extortion measures indispensable scope specified susceptible stretches too,” she said.
“With thoughtful planning, amended amenities, ecotourism initiatives, and taste interpretation, this tin germinate into a exemplary of however communities tin unrecorded successful harmony with the oversea portion preserving our heritage,” she added.
The request for much coastal walkways successful the Greater Kochi country is increasing, particularly since overmuch of the Fort Kochi beach, erstwhile a large tourer draw, has been mislaid to oversea incursion. The adjacent walkway has besides suffered harm and developed cracks successful respective places owed to mediocre attraction by Kerala Tourism.
‘Immense potential’
A Kerala Tourism authoritative said that the Chellanam–Puthenthode coastal walkway had immense imaginable to pull visitors who erstwhile frequented Fort Kochi, provided capable infrastructure was developed. He added that they hoped the authorities would allocate capable funds for different walkways, including the 1 on Fort Kochi beach.
