Giving a fillip to inland water tourism in the capital, the Veli-Kadinamkulam solar boat service, a round trip starting from Veli, travelling along the Parvathy Puthanar canal to Kadinamkulam Lake and back, will begin on September 30. The new service has been designed to benefit both tourists and regular commuters, with separate fare structures for each group.

The four-hour journey is designed in such a way that the service begins from the Veli Tourism Village boat jetty and returns to Veli after circling the Kadinamkulam backwaters. Although the plan is to operate two services daily, only one service will be operated in the first phase. The initial phase of the service will be conducted using a solar boat leased from CIAL (Cochin International Airport Limited). The boat can accommodate 24 passengers at a time.

The one-way journey covers a distance of 14 kilometres and takes two hours in one stretch. The two proposed service slots are from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. As part of the tourism service, after dropping off passengers at the Kadinamkulam jetty, the boat will cruise for half an hour to allow tourists to enjoy the scenic backwaters. The authorities have also made arrangements to provide tea and food to tourists—in collaboration with Kudumbashree—when the boat returns to the Kadinhamkulam jetty.

The standard fares for regular passengers are ₹50 from Veli to Channankara, ₹30 from Channankara to Kadinamkulam, and ₹80 from Veli to Kadinamkulam. However, tourists are charged ₹400 for a round trip between Veli and Kadinhamkulam. These full fares apply to individuals above the age of 11. Children aged between 5 and 11 are required to pay 50% of the standard fare, while travel is completely free for children under the age of 5.

As part of the State Water Transport department’s 100-day action plan, Transport Minister C.P. John will inaugurate the passenger-cum-tourism boat service at the Veli Tourism Village on Wednesday. Ramya Haridas MLA will preside over the function.