With Maldives being connected to India through regular water transport networks, it will become a cheaper and more accessible destination to spend our holidays at.
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If you love the sea and you are among the people who love the adventure of travel which includes water-sports and serenity of nature then this is good news for you! The much-awaited passenger-cum-cargo ferry service that our Prime Minister agreed to develop with the Maldives, which is one of the best holiday destinations near India, might soon be a reality and ready for public use.
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As of now, the ways to reach Maldives is through Air or Cruise and would coast according to international rates. With Maldives being connected to India through regular water transport networks, it will become a cheaper and more accessible destination to spend our holidays at.
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Earlier a passenger-cum-cargo ferry service between Kerala’s Kochi to Maldivian capital Male is what the heads of two countries agreed on during the visit of PM Narendra Modi to Maldives early this year. The move to start an approximately 700 km long voyage in the open sea via Kulhudhuffushi atoll was announced to strengthen the connectivity between the two neighboring countries.
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In a bilateral move, an MOU was signed between the two countries for setting up a frequent passenger-cum-cargo service which will help is the development of tourism for both Kerala and Maldives.
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Narendra Modi visited Maldives last in November 2018 for the swearing-in ceremony of President Solih. Although this proposal was first put forward in 2011 after the SAARC summit, it was put on hold with the relations between the two countries turning sour under the leadership of the then President Abdula Yameen. He imposed an emergency last year, along with restrictions on work visas for Indians. However, the ties are back on track under Solih’s regime.
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Prime Minister Modi addressing the Maldivian President said that he is happy about the agreement to connect the two nations through regular ferry transport.
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Although further details are awaited, it is believed that the transit time between Kochi and Maldives on a modern-day ferry will be 24 hours as compared to flights which take 1 hour and 40 minutes from Kochi to Male.
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