The Hindu : Section of new building for aquarium collapses

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 16, 2004

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Section of new building for aquarium collapses

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MARCH 15. A portion of the building being constructed by the District Panchayat under the People's Plan Programme at a cost of Rs. 35 lakhs for housing a fresh water aquarium in the Akkulam tourist village has collapsed, stalling the ambitious project which commenced eight years ago.

A section of the roof of the building, situated on the left side of the road leading from Pulayanarkotta to the tourist village, and the wall collapsed last week. Cracks have appeared on the wall on the right side of the main entrance of the building.

The bricks in many sections of the walls of the spacious building have been removed by anti-social elements. The building located close to the DTPC's boat club and children's park in the tourist village has become a haven for anti-social elements even during daytime.

The project was conceived by the District Panchayat under the People's Plan campaign and implemented with the cooperation of the DTPC and the Fish Farmer's Development Agency.

A top official of the DTPC said the construction of the building had been stalled due to the dispute between the District Panchayat and the Habitat Group, which had been entrusted with the civil works. A sum of Rs. 15 lakhs had been spent already on the building constructed on the bank of the lake, he said.

As per the memorandum of understanding reached between the District panchayat, the DTPC and the Fish Farmer's Development Agency, the Fisheries Department and the District Panchayat would provide Rs. 10 lakhs each and the DTPC the 1.20 acres of land in Attipara and Cheruvakkal village free of cost for the project. The overall supervision and management of the proposed aquarium was given to the panchayat. The semi-skilled workers of the DTPC were to be transferred to the aquarium.

The then District Collector and chairman of the DTPC wrote to the District Panchayat in 2002 to handover the semi-constructed building to the DTPC for seeking additional funds from the Department of Tourism for completing the project. A meeting was convened by the Tourism and Fisheries Minister in September 2002 after the DTPC authorities brought to the notice of the authorities the delay in completing the building.

The District Panchayat president, Sasikala Shivasankar told The Hindu that the authorities had inspected the building after a section of it came down. "We are trying to end the dispute between the PWD and Habitat group and to begin the work. We have not allocated any funds this year. The funds will be earmarked in the current year and it will be constructed by the Habitat group", she added.

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