KOCHI: The ambitious heritage tramway museum, conceived a few years ago and submitted to the state government, lies in limbo. The proposal was mooted in 2014.The erstwhile Cochin State Forest Tramway, which had a meter-gauge rail line laid through the dense forest of Parambikulam, was used by the British to transport forest goods to Cochin.
According to B D Devasya MLA, the Cultural Affairs Department had granted the Archaeological Department permission to start preliminary work on the proposed heritage museum. The project was conceived with an aim to preserve the remains of the British and German engineering marvel.In order to set the project in motion a couple of meetings were held between officers from various departments including the Forest Department, which is a key stakeholder. But, due to official apathy, the project is yet to make a headway. A committee was formed to draft a blueprint for the project and land was also earmarked in Chalakudy for the museum.
J Rejikumar, director, Department of Archaeology, said the project has not been dropped. “A meeting with key officers from the Forest Department has to be convened in order to take the project forward,” he said.
A detailed study has to be conducted of the 79.5 km long tramway, which became a part of the history way back in the 1960s. The remnants of the tramway like broken iron bridges, rusting wagons, rail trails, wheels, workshops, water tanks and wells have to be collected from the tramway regional workshop at Chalakudy and parts of Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary. He said the department thinks the museum needs to be set up at a convenient place.
However, R Keerthi, Divisional Forest Officer, said the department cannot allow people inside Parambikulam reserve under the pretext of the museum project.“The department is ready to cooperate with the Culture Department to collect the remnants of the tramway from the forest,” she said. But, even though a couple of meetings were held at the beginning of the project, no headway has been made, she added.
Exhibiting an engineering marvel
According to an archaeological enthusiast, the proposed museum will showcase artefacts recovered from Parambikulam reserve forest besides documents retrieved from various parts of the country. The museum will also exhibit a timeline on the major events in the state’s tramway history. Apart from the artifacts, the museum will showcase the engineering genius of the people of the yesteryears.
The Cochin State Forest Tramway, which snaked through parts of Western Ghats, was set up in 1905 to transport the forest resource including timber from Parambikulam reserve to the State Treasury of Cochin by the erstwhile Maharaja of Cochin, Ramavarma Raja in association with the British rulers.
The tramway was reportedly inaugurated by the then Governor of Madras, Sir Arthur Oliver Villiers Russel, 2nd Baron Ampthill in 1905. It brought Chalakudy on the world map with its fairy tale meter-gauge lines. It was decommissioned in 1963 following a finance committee report after operating successfully for nearly 58 years.