THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala has asked the state government to take immediate steps to build an appropriate memorial for the late poet-environmentalist Sugathakumari.
In a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Chennithala pointed out that four years have passed since Sugathakumari’s demise.
In his letter, he said the previous government had allocated Rs 3 crore for constructing a memorial as part of the 2021 state budget. Additionally, the government had proposed identifying a location for the monument on the Kerala University campus in Karyavattom. Despite these announcements, no further action has been taken.
The Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had also passed a resolution to name the Museum-Nandavanam-Bakery Junction Road after Sugathakumari, but this too remains on paper.
Concerns are growing in cultural circles that Sugathakumari’s valuable collections, including her books, awards, and important letters, may be lost or displaced in the absence of a dedicated memorial to preserve her legacy. He urged the government to address the delays and take immediate follow-up measures to ensure the realisation of the proposed memorial.