A group of boat owners and fish traders in Munambam region has approached the Kerala high court against the proposed Munambam-Azheekode Bridge connecting Ernakulam with Thrissur coastal area. According to petitioners, if the bridge is constructed, the ancient port will be obstructed forever and the sea vessels, including ships, will not be able to enter the port waters.
The petition also says that the fishing boats cannot be plied through the port waters if the bridge becomes a reality. They are also alleging that most of the boats navigating the area are more than 12m height above the water floating level and the proposed bridge has a height of 8.16m at the navigational path of the vessels.
The petition also points out that the navigational paths of boats are on either side of the river as the middle portion of river doesn’t have required depth due to accumulation of sand and soil. Earlier, when a group of boat owners and fish traders in Munambam opposed the project, the district collector and MLA representing the region had held discussion with the stakeholders and the issue was resolved.
As the authorities are going ahead with the preliminary works of constructing bridge in the area, the fresh protest would likely to further delay the project which received administrative sanction eleven years ago. The foundation stone for the bridge was also laid in 2011. Fishing boat owners’ association, deep sea fishing boat operators’ association, fresh fish traders’ association, fish trade services and mini fisheries harbour Tharak agents in Munambam are the petitioners who have approached the court against the project.
The bridge was a long-pending demand of coastal people in Ernakulam and Thrissur districts. People living in the coastal region have been complaining for a long time about the existing jankar service between Azheekode and Munambam, as the service is being frequently disrupted.
Once the bridge, which is part of the proposed Kasaragod-Thiruvananthapuram coastal highway, becomes a reality, transportation between Ernakulam and Thrissur districts will be easier and people from Ernakulam can easily access the northern districts of Kerala and it would be one of the longest bridges in the state. MLA K N Unnikrishnan has informed that the allegation against the bridge project is baseless and the district collector has already convinced the project details to all stakeholders in the region.