THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In an effort to create beautiful public spaces within the city and give a leg-up to tourism activities, the Corporation here has come up with an elaborate project. Helmed by the Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Limited (SCTL), one of the key priorities of the project is the overall beautification of the Kowdiar Square-Vellayambalam-Corporation office stretch.
The Corporation intends to turn this stretch, lined with a slew of heritage structures, into the ‘royal’ corridor of the capital city by further bolstering its scope for tourism and nightlife. Kanakakunnu Palace and Museum, on this stretch, are already the most visited spots in the capital city. Plans are already afoot to see the Kanakakunnu area as a thriving nightlife spot.
“It is part of the nightlife project promoted by the state government,” an official associated with the project told TNIE. “There are also plans to develop this 2.5-kilometre stretch into a ‘green’ corridor with state-of-the-art lighting and a slew of amenities,” the official added. These include feeding rooms, water kiosks, and selfie points. In all, Rs 3.5 crore has been set aside for the whole project. The plan is to complete it within 3-6 months.
Plans on the anvil
According to officials, existing lighting arrangements in the corridor will undergo a massive facelift. “As many as 110 state-of-the-art lamp posts with modern street lights with royal touch will be installed along the ‘royal’ corridor. We are also planning to landscape these areas to give them a green look. Seating arrangements will also be given,” the official said. A space for feeding babies will be one of the main attractions of the project which aims to draw tourists.
“We are planning to decorate the trees along the corridor with pixel lights which will be operated during a stipulated time during the night. Water kiosks will come up in many places,” the official added.
In addition to this, multiple selfie points will be set up along the corridor. “We are planning for three selfie points. These points will celebrate the major festivals of Kerala,” the official said. Free wifi, emergency call buttons and a slew of other features are also being planned as part of the project.
Children’s park
The children’s park at Kowdiar Square, which has been in a state of disrepair for the past many years, will also be renovated and reopened as part of the project. A senior official of the City Corporation said that the initial plan was to complete the project before Onam.
“We couldn’t pull off the project owing to various reasons. Also, initially, there were commercial elements that were part of the plan. Now we have decided to go ahead without them. We don’t want to corrupt the aesthetics of the stretch which is already a very beautiful part of the city. Shops will only ruin the aesthetics,” the official said.
The defaced walls along the corridors will also undergo a facelift. “We are planning to do mural painting and artwork. This will enhance its visual appearance,” the official added.
Pippinmoodu-HLL Jn to be beautified
Pippinmoodu-HLL Jn stretch, which houses the Special Armed Police (SAP) camp, will undergo massive beautification as part of the project. “The plan is to beautify the stretch with arches on the entry and exit points, on the lines of Pangode military camp,” said the SCTL official.
Sreekanteswaram Park set for renovation
Located in the densely populated residential area in the capital, Sreekantaswaram Park is one of the most used and underdeveloped parks in the city. Hundreds of senior citizens, children and people from all walks of life are using the park - which is one of the rare open spaces in the area. The civic body has roped in SCTL to give a major face-lift to the park.
“The renovation of the park has been long pending and it is used by scores of people daily. People come there for morning walks and jogging. Lack of facilities is a major challenge. There are no toilet facilities,” said councillor Rajendran Nair, Sreekanteswaram ward.
“The park is named after writer G Padmanabha Pillai and his statue should be installed at the park. There is also scope for setting up a mini open auditorium which can be rented out. People need amenities for exercise,” he said.
Other parks too to benefit
The official said that the civic body is also planning to renovate Gandhi park too. “The project has been long pending, over two years. A sum of Rs 50 lakh has been earmarked for the renovation of the park. The work is expected to take off this year after technical sanction,” Rajendran said. An official of SCTL told TNIE that the park’s design will be drawn up in a week.
Rich initiative
The Kowdiar Square-Vellayambalam-Corporation office stretch will be beautified to turn it into a ‘royal’ corridor
Kanakakunnu Palace and Museum here already draw a lot of visitors. Corp hopes to capitalise on the love for heritage structures
Rs 3.5 crore has been set aside for the project. The plan is to complete it in 3-6 months
Arches for SAP camp
This stretch, which houses the Special Armed Police camp, will get arches at both the entry and exit points. This will be done along the lines of the Pangode military camp