Friday, February 19, 2010

The marina house to be commissioned in May

The country's first full-fledged marina that is getting ready on the eastern side of Bolghatty Island would be commissioned in May.

The Rs. 6-crore facility being built using tourism funds of the Centre and the State would berth 35 yachts in the first phase. It was scheduled for completion last year. A marina house is almost ready on an acre of land owned by the KTDC, while the berthing facility would come up on 1.5 acres in the adjacent backwaters. Even without a marina, 16 yachts from foreign lands are currently anchored across the waterbody. Their number was the highest in 2008, when 40 yachts called at Kochi – the port city in India that is nearest to the international sea route.

The three-storeyed marina house resembles the Dutch palace that was later converted into the Bolghatty Palace Hotel, full with wooden beams, panelling and chandeliers with antique finish. A Customs office would be housed in a room in the building, so that seafarers can directly check into the marina. They now have to wait in the outer sea for a day or two to obtain Customs clearance and other formalities, where many of them are forced to buy goods sold by unscrupulous boatmen.

“The marina house would have 20 double rooms and four suites, some facing the marina and the others the golf course on the western side,” said Jaibee Kollarmalil, the hotel's manager.

No comments:

bloggers