The inauguration of the renovated Anakkulam here by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday marks the completion of the work to revive what was once a major pond that has been in a state of disrepair for decades, albeit a row over who deserves credit for the restoration project.
The pond has been renovated under the Operation Anantha scheme at an estimated cost of Rs.2 crore. It had been so badly dilapidated over the past several years that it was used as a dump. The renovation project over the past one year restored the water resource near South Bazaar here.
Anakkulam is one of the three big ponds here selected under the Operation Anantha for their total re-construction to save them. The other two ponds that have already been renovated are Chettiarkulam and Valiyakulam in the Corporation limits. The renovated Anakkulam located on a 2.5 acre plot has a length of 110 meters and width of 52 meters and a compound wall.
Rs.3 crore sanctioned
Their inclusion under the project was announced by former Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson during his visit here last year. An amount of Rs.3 crore was sanctioned for the revival project. The United Democratic Front (UDF) Kannur constituency committee alleged that P.K. Sreemathy, MP, was taking credit for the renovation of the Anakkulam under the project launched by the previous UDF government.
Committee chairman and Congress leader Suresh Babu Elayavur said the renovation was being projected as a personal achievement of the MP. “It was former MLA A.P. Abdullakutty, who had taken the initiative to get the ponds renovated,” he said. Ms. Sreemathy said she had never claimed credit for the renovation of Anakkulam and other ponds. She, however, said that it was she who had met the then Chief Secretary and proposed the inclusion of the three ponds under the Operation Anantha under the disaster management action plan of the Central government.
The sources in the district administration, which also took keen initiative in the renovation project, said the inclusion of the renovation of the ponds under the Operation Anantha accelerated the proposals for reviving them.
