Hibi Eden launches hunger strike demanding city entry of Goshree buses

The UDF will continue to take up the cause of islanders who are denied direct public transport connectivity to Kochi, even after the opening of the Goshree bridges and the commissioning of Kochi metro, says K. Muraleedharan, MP

With a rule amendment or a Government Order (GO) remaining a far cry to permit the city entry of 100-odd private buses from Goshree islands ever since the trio of Goshree bridges were built over 18 years ago, the issue has attained political overtones, with the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) aggressively upping the ante on this count.

Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden launched a 24-hour hunger strike on Tuesday demanding speedy resolution of the issue. The strike was inaugurated by K. Muraleedharan, MP. Sashi Tharoor, MP, visited the venue at Goshree Junction late in the evening.

The UDF will continue to take up the cause of islanders who are denied direct public transport connectivity to Kochi, even after the opening of the Goshree bridges and the commissioning of Kochi metro, Mr. Muraleedharan said.

Mr. Tharoor said the government should not go back on its responsibility of providing seamless public transport connectivity to the islanders, especially since the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC)  had submitted its survey cum study report many months ago. Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan is slated to inaugurate the culmination of the hunger strike on Wednesday.

On his part, Vypeen MLA K.N. Unnikrishnan had pitched for an amendment to relevant rules as a precursor to permitting city entry of buses from the islands, in a press release issued on Saturday. Joining him was former Minister for Transport Jose Thettayil who alleged that the 75 Thirukochi buses that began operating in the city, 20 of them on the Goshree route, when he was Minister, were withdrawn in a phased manner by the subsequent UDF government. He demanded that all city buses be permitted to operate in the Greater Kochi area, thus linking the city with suburban towns.

Peeved at the inordinate delay in permitting buses from the islands to operate on city routes, D. Dhanuraj, chairman, Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), said it was not at all a gargantuan task to remove legal impediments on this count. “After all, the entry of buses from the islands into the city is a basic right of the islanders, at a time when there are seamless borders in between many countries and also visa on arrival facility. Any further delay in this regard will lead to more private vehicles from the isles choking city roads, reaching a point of no return. More islanders arriving in the city in buses will improve Kochi metro ridership as well. It is odd that buses from from all suburban areas, barring the Goshree isles, are coming to the city.”

The general secretary of Federation of Residents’ Apex Councils in Gosree Islands (FRAG), Anil Plavians, wondered why the government was dithering in permitting city entry of buses from the thickly populated region, despite NATPAC submitting a survey cum detailed study report over five months ago. “It must act as per a timeframe, in a proactive manner,” he demanded.