Cochin corporation hiked the jankar rates.

Kochi corporation hiked the  jankar rates.   Kochi Corporation has hiked the rates of jankar services from the current Rs 5 to Rs 7 for two-wheelers and from Rs 25 to Rs 30 for medium vehicles with effect from Sunday.

“The Corporation secretary has signed the agreement which was earlier passed by the Finance Committee. The new rates will come into effect from Sunday,” B. Bhadra, deputy mayor, said.

At present, for Rs 5, the rider, the vehicle and the pillion rider can travel on the jankar services, which are mainly conducting services in the Fort Kochi-Vypeen sector.

However, the passenger associations claim that now separate tickets will have to be taken for pillion-riders also.

“They have hiked the ticket rates to Rs 7 but now the pillion rider has to take separate ticket. Till now individual passenger had to dole out Rs 2 which will be now increased to Rs 3. In effect, a bike rider (along with the vehicle and the pillion rider) will now have to dole out Rs 10 instead of the earlier Rs 5,” Vypeen-Fort Kochi Ferry Passengers Association President Francis Chammani said.
However, the rates for heavy vehicles will remain the same.

Meanwhile, the Passenger Association threatened of protest if the “unfair” hike was not withdrawn.
“We demand revocation of the tickets introduced for pillion riders. Also we want corporation to include the services under the JNNURM scheme and operate directly,” Chammani said.

There are charges that the contractor is not conducting proper maintenance and repair of the old jankars currently deployed in the Fort Kochi-Vypeen section.

“Breaking down of the jankars is a frequent incident. Also the contractor has not deployed spare jankar which is a blatant violation of the new agreement,” he said.