As part of its initiative to initiate welfare programmes, the Tripunithura Municipality on Sunday launched its prestigious Town Hall project at Kannankulangara.
The official inauguration of the construction of the Town Hall building was done by Excise Minister K Babu at function held here.
As per plan, the three-story building will come up at one-and-a-half acres of land at Kannankulangara within two years.
In his inaugural speech, the Minister, who is also the local MLA, said he wouls back every viable development projects undertaken in the constituency by providing aid from his MLA Fund or helping source money from the state government.
Babu also urged the municipal authorities to turn the building into a finest shopping mall.
Meanwhile, Tripunithura Municipality vice-chairperson Thilothama Suresh said as per the suggestion of the Minister, the ground floor and first floor will be developed into a shopping mall. The second and third floor will exclusively be saved for the Town Hall. “The municipality has plans to set up multiplex in the mall. The total cost of the project is `5 crore and as much as `2 crore has already been sanctioned. The project will be developed as a decent source of income for the municipality,” Thilothama said.
The proposal also includes the cellar parking facility which can accommodate over 100 hundred vehicles at a time. Though the project was introduced in 1988, it was stuck in its very initial stage. The company which was entrusted with the construction work dropped the project after constructing few pillars citing the lack of funds. Though the earlier municipal council tried to restart the project, the move was objected by the local auditors who sought details of the fund spent on the project.
“However, we have sorted out all issues. Through Excise Minister K Babu, we could procure the permission of the state government to relaunch the project. We have given the report to the state government that the-then municipal council and secretary were responsible for the fund invested on the project,” municipal authorities said.
Councillors Roopa Raju, Sasi Vellakkattu and Tripunithura Municipal secretary K T James were also present.