KOCHI: Even as the state government gears up to inaugurate the Muziris Heritage Project, the work on some of its constituent projects is far from completion. Critics say the hastily planned launch is just a ploy by the state government to add another achievement to its credit before the election code of conduct comes into effect in another couple of weeks.
Paliyam Trust, which manages the Paliam Museums housed in the 17th century palace at Chendamangalam, near Paravur, has come out vocally against the inauguration citing incomplete maintenance work on the heritage sites. The Trust has written to the President, who is expected to inaugurate the project, regarding the matter.
According to Krishnabalan Paliath, the manager of the Trust, nearly 30 per cent of the work on the museum is still pending. “Paliyam Museums are the first public-private venture in the field of heritage museums, wherein the ownership and management is vested with the Paliyam Trust and the state government is entrusted only with its protection and conservation. As per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Trust and the government, the renovation work on the museums should have ended by 2009. But, no major work was undertaken in the last three years and many works remain half-complete,” he adds.
The museums, which are old and sensitive, are yet to be insured and no safety measures against fire and other accidents are put in place. Electric equipment, audio system and information panels are damaged and need immediate replacement.
In 2013, the state government delegated a newly-formed company to oversee the project, which, Paliath says, has not communicated yet with the Trust. ‘’We were not called to any of their meetings. We are kept in the dark about the nitty-gritty of the amount sanctioned and spent,” he says.
Last month, the Tourism Secretary called a meeting to announce the plan to launch the project in February and Paliyam Trust voiced its protest. “They told us that the pending works would be finished in ten days. But, no work has started yet,” says Paliath.
A source who was closely associated with the project from the start said the project fell through due to the lack of initiative from the government and bureaucrats. He added that there were leaders from both the LDF and UDF, who wanted the project to come to fruition, but there was no collective will.
“The Muziris project is not an infrastructural project to be hastily inaugurated before a government steps down. It’s a prestigious project that needs a joint effort from everybody,” he added.
