KOZHIKODE: A boat jetty, built at the Kadalundi Community Reserve will be formally opened to tourists today (Friday). It is built as a CSR project by NIRDESH , Chaliyam, at a cost of Rs. 3.5 Lakh. Funds for the project were made available by the defence public sector shipyard, Mazagon Dock Limited, Mumbai.
Though declared as a River-based Community Reserve in 2011, the Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary did not have a boat jetty. Endowed with a mangrove-lined river, scenic islands, wide river mouth and migratory birds, the community reserve is visited by many tourists who take a ride on boats that operate here.
There are 10 boats operating in the area, attracting about 500 tourists, every week. The number of tourists taking the river ride has drastically grown with as many as 200 tourists visiting every day, during vacations. Non availability of a safe boarding point to get in and out of the boat was a major problem, faced by tourists. Taking this into account, Nirdesh built a concrete jetty that is 20 feet long and four feet wide. Projecting clearly into the water, with steps leading into the river, the jetty can be safely used during all tidal variations. Arrangements have also been provided to safely tie-up boats along the jetty.
