Kerala State Water Transport Department has rolled out budget-friendly tour packages to enjoy the pristine beauty of Kuttanad backwaters. The department has introduced a boat, which was bought for Rs 1.90 crore, to run the leisure service. The response for two trips from the Matha Jetty in Alappuzha was overwhelming. The tourists were served tapioca and fish curry, which was prepared using fresh fish caught from the Kuttanad lakes. In the coming days, food cooked by Kudumbashree will be served onboard for the travellers. The boat boasts of a cafeteria corner to serve food to the guests.

The leisure tour lasts for three hours and there are two trips – one starting at 10am and the other at 3pm. ‘See Kuttanad’ provides opportunities to travellers to enjoy the mesmerizing vistas of Kuttanad by travelling on a vessel like the high-speed AC boat Vega-2. Keeping in mind the safety of passengers, the steel boat had been built following the safety norms prescribed by the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS).The new boat is 20m long and 7m wide and can touch a speed of 7 nautical miles. The vessel has two decks with 30 seats on the upper deck and 60 on the lower deck. The ticket rate for the upper deck is Rs 300 and for the lower is Rs 250.

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The boat will touch Punnamada finishing point, starting point, Sai Kendra, Marthandam lake, Kamalante moola, Ranganath, C Block, Vattakayal, Cherukayal, the ancestral home of Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara in Kainakary, Mangalassery, Kuppappuram, Punchiri and the Lake Palace Resort during the three-hour trip.  

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