Amid buzz & din, Kochi islanders endure all alone

One can see the lights and skyline of Kochi clearly from Valanthakkad Island as it is located just 110 metres off Maradu, one of the most developed areas in the city. But the family members of Usha Babu felt it to be miles away when the 57-year-old developed chest pain around midnight on Sept 13, 2024. There was not enough water to paddle the boat due to the low tide and it took more than half-an-hour for them to push a country boat through the silt and take Usha to Maradu. But it was too late as she died by the time they reached the hospital.Despite the infrastructure development in recent years, some islands in Kochi remain disconnected from the mainland. Many islands are located just a few metres away from the bustling city areas, but the residents there are facing untold hardships due to lack of connectivity. “Many lives like that of Usha have been lost as we couldn’t take them to hospital in time due to lack of connectivity. Demand for a bridge across the backwaters has been there for decades. Though Tripunithura MLA M Swaraj allotted Rs 6.25 crore and work was started in 2020, it had to be stalled due to Covid. No steps were taken since then to resume work,” said Valanthakkad resident K A Babu. “Work on the bridge has resumed now after a five-year delay,” he said. There are 45 families and almost all of them belong to SC communities.Backward communities form most of the residents of Thanthonnithuruth Island, which is a stone’s throw away from Chathyath on Marine Drive, and it too still remains cut off from the mainland. “We face a lot of hardships due to lack of connectivity. We’ve been demanding a bridge. In fact, the original alignment of the Goshree Bridge was through our island. But the plan was changed and we remain disconnected from the city,” said M S Subbayyan, a resident. Waterlogging plagues the island throughout the year. “Following back-toback agitations, the govt has finally taken steps to construct a bund around the island so that saline water intrusion can be prevented. The work on the bund is progressing,” Subbayyan said.Another island off Kochi is Kakkathuruthu near Eramalloor in Alappuzha. “Around 1,000 people belonging to 200 families live on the island. In 2013, the govt allocated Rs 4 crore to construct a 3.5-metrewide bridge but the work was stalled due to land acquisition-related issues. Now, the govt has allotted Rs 33 crore from KIIFB to construct an 11-metre-wide bridge including a 9.4-metre carriageway. Work is yet to start as elections were announced before inviting tenders,” said Akhil C S, a resident.The islanders pin their hopes on the realisation of the 1,157-metre Perumbalam bridge, which is one of the largest across backwaters in the state.