Waterfront walkway on the cards on Container Road

Besides offering space for water sport activities, it may prevent waste dumping into backwaters

Buoyed by the huge patronage enjoyed by the over 2-km-long waterfront walkway stretching from Kannanghat Bridge to Mattancherry BOT Bridge on Alexander Parambithara Road, the Cochin Port Trust (CPT) is working on a proposal to develop a similar walkway along Container Road, facing the backwaters and the 6-km-long railway bridge that hovers at a distance.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and CPT are the key stakeholders who own the 16-km-long road. “A walkway can be built from the area the road takes off from Bolghatty Island, extending northward by a few kilometres. Even without a walkway, hundreds of people throng the area during evenings to get a glimpse of the sunset. This despite the premises remaining weed-infested. A walkway will also clear the stretch of haphazardly-parked container lorries,” port sources said.

This and the walkway on Alexander Parambithara Bridge can also become arenas for water sport activities. It will also prevent dumping of waste into the backwaters. A preliminary discussion in this regard was held with Hibi Eden, MP, they added.

A lengthy walkway with a scenic view can be built here using funds from the ministries of Tourism, Road Transport and Highways and Shipping. MP funds and CSR funds of prominent public sector units in the district too can be used for this. The project will cost approximately ₹5 crore a km. A 1-km-long walkway could be readied in phase one, and the rest will follow, Mr. Eden said.

A tentative proposal for a walkway-cum-cycle track and a 3-D design of it are ready, it is learnt.

Haphazard parking of container lorries on the ill-lit stretch has often been causing accidents, including fatal ones.

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