KOCHI: The islanders in the city are a worried lot. With the authorities failing to provide vessels to Lakshadweep islands, passengers have written to the Administrator demanding urgent measures to repair the vessel MV Kavaratti which has been held up due to engine trouble. A mass petition signed by 197 passengers was on Tuesday sent to new Lakshadweep administrator Amarnath in this regard.In the petition, the passengers pointed out that M V Kavaratti, the biggest passenger-cum- cargo ship to Lakshadweep islands, has been held up in Kochi following engine trouble. Following this, the vessel has not been operational since August 3.Pointing out that improper maintenance of the vessel by LDCL (Lakshadweep Development Corporation) has led to the situation, passengers said, “LDCL is unfit to operate any services. A good number of passengers are stranded. It’s very difficult for inter-island passage and passage from island to the mainland. The cargo movement is also disrupted.”M V Kavaratti is undergoing repair due to engine trouble. “Earlier we were compelled to bring engineers from outside. So it would be appropriate to bring engineers from the company as in the past,” they said adding that other ships - M V Amin Deevi, M V Minicoy and other speed vessels have not been subjected to necessary maintenance work.In another petition sent to the Deputy Director of Shipping and Transport Office, the Lakshadweep passengers demanded that a register should be kept at the ticket counter. The register should mention the name of the passengers waiting in queue. A number of passengers are waiting in the queue and return without getting tickets. By keeping a register, there will be a clarity on the number of available seats, they said.
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