THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Delay in land acquisition has played spoilsport in setting up the International Archives and Heritage Centre (IAHC), announced during the first Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government tenure. The centre was to come up on Kerala University’s Kariavattom campus. As per the proposal, the Kerala State Archives Department, along with the University of Archives Study and Research, would set up the centre on one acre of land taken on lease from the university.
The foundation stone of the project was laid by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in January last year. Nothing much has happened since then. “It’s unfortunate the archives department hasn’t taken the initiative to expedite the work. The state government had allocated Rs 6 crore for the project in the 2020-21 budget. This has lapsed now,” a senior government official told TNIE.
Following the 2018 flood, there was an outcry among the people and the archaeologists to digitise land deeds and books, including rare documents. Researchers had highlighted the need for scientific conservation of records.During the foundation stone laying function, which he attended virtually, Pinarayi had claimed the centre would benefit even researchers from abroad.
The proposal, drawn up under the then museums, archaeology and archives minister Kadannapally Ramachandran, was to operate the centre on the land allotted by the university for a lease period of 33 years.Ahammad Devarkovil, minister for ports, museums, archaeology and archives, said there was an inordinate delay in acquiring the land. “The land was acquired only recently by the archives department. We couldn’t do anything until the land was acquired. We have now asked the Kerala Museum of History and Heritage to prepare a detailed project report,” the minister said.
STUCK IN LIMBO
The state government had allocated D6 crore for setting up IAHC. However, due to the delay the funding has now lapsed.