The Hindu : Vallakkadavu Boathouse: Phase I renovation soon

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 02, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram

Vallakkadavu Boathouse: Phase I renovation soon

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM May 1. The first phase of the renovation of the Vallakkadavu boathouse will be completed within two months. The renovation work was taken up by the Thiruvananthapuram Development Authority (Trida) in January last.

According to the Trida chairman, P.K.Venugopal, the boathouse renovation is part of the Theerapatham project of the Tourism Department. Trida was assigned only the renovation of the boathouse. It was held up by unexpected technical problems. The contractor had complained that the materials stored for doing the work were taken away by miscreants. Now Trida has taken steps to speed up the work, he said.

Trida took up the project after the Kerala Sports Council handed over the possession of the boathouse in 2001. The first phase involved the demolition of the crumbled structures. While the docks, sheds and other structures were dismantled for reconstruction, the arch, which straddles the entrance, has been preserved as such. The site was cleared of debris and a team of scientists was deputed to carry out soil testing before work on the substructure began.

Problems cropped up when the piling began. The pile drivers ran into a wall of debris at a depth of 2 metres. On expert advice, excavators were pressed into service to remove the underground layer of rubble. The site was again filled with red earth and boring resumed, which gave way to fresh problems caused by tidal ingress and rain-induced soil erosion.

The boathouse, which presents a picture of neglect and ruin, was the hub of hectic commercial activity in its heydays during the Travancore era. A stone's throw from the International Airport in the city, it was built in the 1820's as an important link in the waterway for travel and cargo transport from one end of the princely State to the other.

The majestic arch at the entrance sports the insignia of the Travancore monarchs. Over the years, tiles have fallen off the high roof and the massive carved rafters have rotted. There were four docks inside the boathouse, parallel to one another, about 25 metres long and five metres wide. The docks, deep enough to take heavy barges filled to the brim with cargo, were clogged with sand and silt.

Historical records reveal that the "boattupura'', as it is known to the locals, was used by the stately barges of the Travancore kings. The royal parties which went picnicking in the Veli Lake used to set sail from the boathouse. The priests, scholars and nobility who used to come to Thiruvananthapuram from far and near used to alight here.

The Government handed over the boathouse to the Kerala Sports Council in 1968 for developing it into a recreation centre. A rowing centre was opened there in 1970 with two fibre- glass boats, which were hired out to rowing enthusiasts on an hourly basis. However, the rowing centre was short-lived, as the boats were not replaced when they became damaged.

Meanwhile, the Vallakkadavu-based Zam-Zam Association has urged Trida to expedite the work on the boathouse. The renovation work was inaugurated by the Local Administration Minister, Cherkkalam Abdullah, in the presence of the Co-operation Minister, M.V.Raghavan, and the Forest Minister, K.Sudhakaran, on July 16, 2001. Still, the work is moving at a snail's pace. The Zam Zam Association president, S.M Iqbal, appealed to TRIDA to complete the work at the earliest.

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