The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Design for civic centre building approved

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 22, 2005

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Design for civic centre building approved

T. Nandakumar

Site to house Mayors' Chamber

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ending two years of uncertainty and an extended dispute with the Revenue Department, the City Corporation has decided to utilise one of its prime properties for a landmark building housing a civic centre at Jagathy.

The local body has approved the design of the five-storey building that will accommodate a convention hall, food court, exhibition space, lecture rooms and shops. The structure will bear a distinct architectural identity while retaining a heritage look. It is to come up on the vacant plot by the side of the Jagathy bridge, currently used to dump damaged garbage bins.

Past efforts by the corporation to develop the site had come to naught. The initial proposal for a Mayors' Chamber was later changed to a shopping complex and a rehabilitation centre for the shops to be displaced for road widening. In between, the corporation also ran into trouble with the Government over possession rights to the `puramboke' property.

The design provides for 12 shops and parking facility for 100 vehicles on the ground floor of the building. The first floor features two multi-purpose exhibition halls, with a lobby, kitchen, dining room and a lecture hall with gallery capable of accommodating 100 persons.

An air-conditioned auditorium equipped with a stage and a multi-tier gallery forms the major facility on the second floor. Another feature is a multi-cuisine food court with a pavilion. An open amphitheatre will also be provided on this floor.

The third and fourth floors of the building will accommodate the upper tiers of the gallery for the auditorium. The project is estimated to cost Rs.7.5 crores.

The multi-level structure will have a tiled roof reflecting the traditional style of architecture. A high clock tower has been added to the design.

"The project is a radical departure from the original proposal. We have focussed on the civic amenities rather than the commercial element. The open design with multi-access points to each floor is a unique feature," says a spokesperson for the Kumar Group, which designed the project.

Mayors' Chamber

The premises will also house the Mayors' Chamber with conference facilities and accommodation for visiting Mayors, councillors and senior officials from other corporations. While the ground floor will have an air-conditioned conference hall, dining room and office space, the three floors above will accommodate six suites each.

Planned on the lines of the Municipal House, the Mayors' Chamber is estimated to cost Rs.2.8 crores. The project cost will be shared by the five Corporations in the State.

Meanwhile, the dispute over the property is inching closer to a settlement following several rounds of negotiations. The Revenue Department had maintained that the local body had violated a Government order earmarking the land for construction of a cattle shed.

Corporation officials said the department had agreed to give up its claim to the site. But the Government decision to levy the land value from the civic body has posed another impediment. "We are talking to the Government to get the decision reversed. A final settlement is expected any time and the project will take off this year," the Mayor, J. Chandra, said.

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