The Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Mattancherry, petitioned the Ernakulam district collector to resolve the legal status of lease lands along the Mattancherry channel. Granted by the erstwhile Cochin kingdom more than a century ago to promote trade, the lands have been in legal limbo for over 30 years.

Some title deeds combine tax-free jenmom land and lease land, with buildings crossing both categories. The revenue department stopped accepting lease rent and halted land transfers in 1994. ICCI says some documented lease lands are now treated as purambokku, or unassessed government land. Uncertainty has prevented repairs and renovations, contributing to business closures and deterioration of heritage structures.

ICCI asked the government to clarify the lands’ status and either assign them to existing occupants or resume rent collection at rates affordable for small traders.

• Desilting in Mattancherry is due to begin within two to three months to address Water Metro service disruptions caused by low tides; Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) Chairman and Managing Director Loknath Behera said the work should improve reliability.
• Water Metro terminals at Thoppumpady and Edakochi are planned to be ready by 2027, with more services to be added as the network expands.
• Behera said better transport connectivity could help revive Mattancherry’s traditional trade and economic activity.
• Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Raj Kumar Gupta called for affordable, dependable boat services that operate regardless of tides and connect with nearby Water Metro jetties.

Kochi Corporation and Cochin Smart Mission Limited inaugurated four projects: new blocks at the Mattancherry Women and Child Hospital and Fort Kochi Taluk Hospital, a renovated Kalvathy community hall and improvements to Diamond Park in Mattancherry.

The Fort Kochi hospital received ₹1.80 crore from the Corporation’s development fund and ₹40 lakh from BPCL’s CSR fund. Facilities include a geriatric centre, paediatric ward, casualty unit, outpatient block, pay wards and physiotherapy centre. Its geriatric ward was renovated with ₹50 lakh in health-grant funds; the physiotherapy centre has a laser magnetic stimulation device, used for the first time in Kerala. A separate three-storey, 15,737-sq-ft block costing ₹7.40 crore has outpatient counters, doctors’ rooms, nursing station, laboratories, pharmacy, lift and fire-safety system. CT and MRI services at affordable rates are nearing completion through HLL Lifecare, funded by ₹1.10 crore from the Corporation and ₹1.75 crore from the MP development fund.

The Mattancherry hospital’s three-storey, 14,995-sq-ft block cost ₹7.40 crore and includes outpatient counters, doctors’ rooms, pharmacy, lift and fire-safety system. Diamond Park received landscaping, a walkway, LED lighting, stage and toilets for ₹2.80 crore. Kalvathy’s air-conditioned, 50-seat hall was renovated for ₹6 crore.

K.J. Maxy, Hibi Eden and Mayor M. Anilkumar inaugurated the projects; Deputy Mayor K.A. Ansiya attended.

Kochi Water Metro service is set to arrive in Mattancherry, with the historic trading hub poised to become a centre for connectivity, commerce and culture.

E Sreedharan proposed an urban ropeway from Fort Kochi to Maharaja’s College via Mattancherry and Willingdon Island in a letter to KMRL’s managing director. He said ropeways can carry 5,000–6,000 passengers per hour, suit roads too narrow for metro construction and cost about one-third as much as a metro. He recommended that KMRL’s technical director study systems in Varanasi, Bolivia and Mexico before deciding on a third metro line.

Sreedharan called the proposed Aluva–Angamaly extension via Nedumbassery undesirable, citing competition from a new Southern Railway station at Nedumbassery Airport and a proposed DMRC high-speed rail link from Tripunithura and Palarivattom to the airport. The latter would take 10 minutes and cost around ₹100. He instead suggested an elevated metro from Aroor to Varapuzha via Edappally along the National Highway bypass. He said Delhi Metro’s airport link carried over 60,000 passengers but was not operationally profitable, despite DMRC funding civil and track works; KMRL would face a major financial burden. A copy of his letter was sent to the Transport Department secretary.