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By Shirajiv sirimane

Passenger ferry services between India and Sri Lanka will resume on November 14 after a lapse of over 20 years. The two connecting points will be between Colombo Port and Tuticorin, a Southern coastal town in India.

The Memorandum of Understanding in this regard is scheduled to be signed between the Shipping Ministers of both countries, Rauf Hakeem (Sri Lanka) and M. Goyal, (India) on November 14 at the Ministry of Shipping in Colombo.

The two Ministers are expected to be on board on the inaugural 142 nautical-mile journey to Tuticorin. The High Commissioner of India, Nirupan Sen, hailed the resumption of this service. "This is a very timely idea. The service will have a major impact on tourism and economy for both countries." The High Commissioner said that the Embassy will make special arrangements to speed up the visa procedure in view of this service.

The vessel 'MV City of Trico' is expected to operate three weekly services to India starting at 6.30 p.m. from Colombo and reaching Tuticorin the following day at 6 a.m.

The air conditioned vessel which has a capacity to carry 300 passengers leaves the Indian port at 6 p.m. the next day.

A spokesman for Greenlanka Shipping said that their clientele will comprise mainly businessman. "We have got many inquiries from businessmen. The main attraction for them is the attractive baggage allowance of 50 kilos per person. This allowance is more than double what an airline economy class offers." He said that pilgrims too have shown an interest for this voyage.

The spokesman said that the vessel will offer dinner, short eats and coffee at their restaurant. "We are not offering any special class classifications for passengers at present."

In addition to the fare the passengers will have to pay an embarkation fee of Rs. 500 in Colombo Port and Indian Rs. 100 in Tuticorin. The Indian port of Tuticorin is 130 k.m. off Madurai, 230 km from Trivandrum and 583 miles from Madras (Chennai) and is linked by a good rail and overland transport network.

The vessel 'MV City of Trico', built in Japan was deployed in the Trincomalee and Kankesanthurai ferry trade for two years from May 2000 when the land routes were not accessible due to the North East conflict. The vessel performed the task of making 150 voyages and carried over 1,20, 000 passengers comprising mainly displaced persons at the time, under the guidance of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The ferry services between India and Sri Lanka were terminated 20 years ago. The two ports during the time were Talaimannr and Rameshwaram.

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