Alappuzha port pier on its last legs

By Bonnie James

ALAPPUZHA, MAY 28. The turbulent sea invades the senses as one steps on to the rickety pier of the defunct port. Mighty waves crash against the pillars of the disintegrating structure. As the surging, foaming waves roar and raise their heads menacingly again and again you can't help wonder whether the pier, a symbol of Alappuzha's lost glory, would last this monsoon.

Several of the wooden planks at the mouth of the 1,270-foot long pier had collapsed on February 26, indicating the precarious condition of the historic landmark. This had prompted the municipal authorities and the Port Development Committee to approach the Government with a plea for repairing the pier.

Notwithstanding the token budgetary allocation of Rs. 25 lakhs for maintenance works, things have not moved in this direction. The Thottappally sub-division office of the Harbour Engineering Department, which ought to handle the repairs, is yet to receive any direction to the effect.

Although matters including the maintenance of the pier and the feasibility to revive the port were to be discussed at a meeting on May 10 in the presence of the Minister for Ports, Mr. V.C. Kabeer, the meeting did not take place and a new date has not been fixed. The municipal chairman, Mr. Sony J. Kalyankumar, told The Hindu that he is trying to meet the Minister this week itself to discuss the issue. The Port Development Committee is also lobbying for the port revival.

Meanwhile, the municipality has set apart Rs. 10 lakhs in the current budget and Rs. 5 lakhs in the annual plan under the People's Plan Programme to fund a feasibility study regarding the revival of the port. The idea is to entrust an expert agency to make the study. Mr. Sony is of the view that the port, if revived, could handle bulk cargo. Loose cargo such as timber, rice, wheat, cement and fertilizers could be handled here, he pointed out.

"For instance, the revived Alappuzha port could very well fill the void of the State not having a timber port. As of now, at least 100 truck loads of timber are reaching various parts of Kerala from the Tuticorin Port every day. Given the transportation charges of Rs 7,000 per truck, we are losing Rs. 7 lakhs. This drain of funds could be plugged if we could handle timber vessels here," Mr. Sony maintained.

The rise and fall of Alappuzha, once known as the `Venice of the East' is closely linked to the history of the port, the main factor which propelled the region to dizzying heights of prosperity long ago and later to the depths of stagnation and backwardness with its downfall. It was with the construction of the port in 1775 by Raja Kesavadas, the then Dewan of Travancore, that Alappuzha gained a coveted slot in the international trade map. Monopoly in the global coir market was just one of the feathers in the crown of this port town those days.

Going by the past records, Alappuzha had been a thriving port town till the late sixties. At the pinnacle of its glory, nearly 600 steamers used to call at the port annually. Although a major port for the export of cashewnut, coir, copra and spices among others for a long time, the absence of container handling facilities and the commissioning of an all-weather port in Kochi in 1935, hit the seasonal Alappuzha port hard. While 390 vessels called at the port that year, the number came down to 366 in 1939. In 1951, the number of ships further dropped to 150. The figure dipped to 105 in 1966, 40 in 1971, 6 in 1975 and to just 1 in 1979.

After 1979, when ships ceased to arrive at the port, the trade circles put in persistent efforts which led to the berthing of a vessel in 1982 for exporting coir. Following the departure of this ship, the port again fell into a slumber till November 1989, when a ship called with 17,000 tonnes of rice from Thailand for the Food Corporation of India. The arrival of the rice ship led to bustling activity at the port and literally infused new blood into the town, albeit for a short while.

The occasion also saw the labourers discharging their duties efficiently and helping the vessels leave ahead of schedule. Although the agreement with the shipping companies warranted the labourers to handle 800 tonnes of grain daily, the determined work force handled nearly 1,000 tonnes ! The total absence of any sort of labour dispute and disruption of work and proper monitoring in this regard by a committee headed by the District Collector worked wonders.

However, the fresh lease of life for the port lasted only till February 19, 1989, by which time two more ships called at the port with 21,000 tonnes of rice and 25,000 tonnes of wheat, respectively. The last time a steamer called on the port was sometime in 1991. A master plan of Rs. 500 crores, announced by the previous UDF regime to revive the port for tourism and cargo handling facilities did not take off. A total of 33 staff, including the pier master, continue to be attached to the port office. The port officer's post has been lying vacant for five years.

Given the prevailing situation, the revival of the port is not at all an easy proposition, notwithstanding the enthusiasm shown by the municipal authorities and the Port Development Committee. Even the Kochi Port is facing stiff competition from Tuticorin these days. Maybe, the easiest option is to repair the pier and preserve it as a historic structure. But, this has to be done at the earliest, before the pier suffers irreparable damages.

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