N. SAI CHARAN Courtesy The Hindu

As per the revised schedule, the high-speed craft Cheriyapani will ply between the two places only on October 16, 18, 20, and 23, say sources.

A day after its launch, the operation of the high-speed passenger ferry service between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Kankesanthurai in the northern province of Sri Lanka was cancelled on Sunday.

The frequency of operation has been rescheduled to thrice a week before its scheduled suspension after October 23.

After a gap of nearly four decades, the ferry service between India and Sri Lanka resumed on Saturday with Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Tamil Nadu Ministers E.V. Velu and S. Regupathy flagging off the high-speed craft (HSC) Cheriyapani at the Nagapattinam port. The ferry had a 14-member crew and 50 passengers onboard while it left for Sri Lanka and around 30 passengers were onboard the vessel in its return journey from Kankesanthurai the same evening.

Earlier, the Shipping Corporation of India and Tamil Nadu Maritime Board had planned to operate the ferry service every day from October 14 for ten days and suspend its operation after October 23 till January owing to onset of the northeast monsoon as the vessel was not suitable for operation during rough weather conditions, official sources said.

As per the revised schedule, the ferry would ply between the two nations only on October 16, 18, 20, and 23, sources said, adding that the change had been made to optimise operations by conducting test runs.

Meanwhile, the Nagapattinam District Small and Tiny Industries Association has demanded that infrastructure be upgraded at the Nagapattinam port to handle container ships.

In a letter to Mr. Sonowal, the association said that there were no ports with the requisite infrastructure to handle container ships between Chennai and Thoothukudi on the eastern coast and pointed out that household articles and commodities, including onion, had been exported to Singapore and Malaysia from Nagapattinam port in the past.

It further said that infrastructural development at the port was crucial for creating employment opportunities for the locals and people from the neighbouring Mayiladuthurai, Thanjavur, and Tiruvarur districts, and for the economic growth of the Cauvery delta region.