The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Vallakadavu boathouse project in limbo

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Wednesday, Sep 20, 2006
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Vallakadavu boathouse project in limbo

Special Correspondent

Technical and financial problems dog monument renovation

WAITING FOR REDEMPTION: The Vallakadavu boathouse in Thiruvananthapuram. - Photo: S. Gopakumar

Thiruvananthapuram : The renovation of the Vallakadavu boathouse, one of the prized heritage monuments in the city dating back to the Travancore era, has been bogged down for more than a year due to technical and financial problems. The project, which was to be completed last year, is progressing in fits and bursts.

The Thiruvananthapuram Development Authority (TRIDA), which has taken up the renovation of the monument, is desperately trying to resolve the deadlock after the contractors applied the brakes on the project citing financial constraints.

Estimated cost

The restoration of the substructure has been completed and work on the buildings, which form the superstructure, is on. The work, estimated to cost Rs.90 lakhs, involves the reconstruction of the original structures, which fell into disuse after years of neglect. It is based on a design approved by the Tourism Department. An amount of Rs.75 lakhs has already been spent on the project.

A senior TRIDA official said the reconstruction is likely to be partially completed by the end of September. "At a meeting convened last month, the contractors agreed to complete the work on strengthening the supporting columns and the roof. The remaining work, including the plastering of the walls and interior decoration, will be taken up soon after," he said.

Heritage monument

Once the renovation is completed, the boathouse will be handed over to the Tourism Department for preservation as a heritage monument. A restaurant on the ground floor and a museum built on a mezzanine floor are designed to enhance the appeal of the building.

But TRIDA officials point out that it will require much more than renovation of the structure to develop the boathouse as a tourist location. "The polluted Parvathy Puthanar canal will have to be cleaned up and the whole area developed under the Theerapadham project," an official said.

The renovation project was taken up in 2002 after the Kerala Sports Council handed over the possession of the boathouse to the TRIDA. In the first phase of the project, which was completed in March last year, the dilapidated structures were demolished. While the docks and sheds were been dismantled for reconstruction, the majestic arch straddling the entrance was left untouched.

Royal symbol

The arch sporting the insignia of the Travancore monarchs will be strengthened without any modification to the structure, project officials said.

The work was held up by repeated technical snags. After the pile drivers ran into a wall of debris, excavators were pressed into service to remove the underground layer of rubble. Fresh problems caused by tidal ingress and rain-induced soil erosion affected the piling work again, forcing TRIDA to commission the use of specialised equipment.

The boathouse was the hub of hectic commercial activity in its heydays during the Travancore era. A stone's throw from the International Airport in the city, it was built in the 1820's as an important link in the waterway for travel and cargo transport from one end of the princely State to the other.

Historical records reveal that the "Boattupura," as it is known to the locals, was used by the stately barges of the Travancore kings. Royal parties that went picnicking in the Veli Lake used to set sail from the boathouse. Priests, scholars and nobility who used to come to Thiruvananthapuram from far and near, used to alight here.

A challenge

Over the years, the high roof lost its tiles and the massive carved rafters started rotting. There were four docks inside the boathouse, parallel to one another, about 25 metres long and five metres wide. The docks were deep enough to accommodate heavy barges filled to the brim with cargo.

The reconstruction of the original structures is a major challenge for the restoration team. TRIDA officials said the old buildings were photographed in detail before they were pulled down. They said every detail, including the pillars, would be rebuilt with precision.

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