Concerns raised by conservationists and heritage experts notwithstanding, Fort Kochi is witnessing widespread destruction of heritage by way of apathetic alteration of natural heritage, environmental damage, arbitrary modification of structures and maintenance out of sync with the heritage environment.
A recent meeting of the local chapter of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) at David Hall across the road from the historical Parade Ground, which has now become a practice ground for the forthcoming FIFA Under-17 World Cup, saw architects, urban designers, eminent residents and heritage experts flag their anxiety about the heritage value of the zone being tampered with.
Parade Ground
“The Parade Ground, used for the purpose by the Dutch and the British, is not just another maidan . It’s a secular, public space that is the heart of Fort Kochi. It has now been elevated and fenced in, denying access to local children who used to play there. The elevation of the ground with land filling had already led to the flooding of the St. Francis Church, an ASI-protected monument, next to it when it showered heavily a few days ago. Cement tiling all around the ground will also lead to a rise in temperature,” says hotelier Jose Dominic, a member of INTACH, who derives “livelihood from tourism in Fort Kochi”.
Elevation of roads with cement tiling, use of granite in Nehru Park, tiling all over the land adjoining the beach, unwise digging around the Parade Ground that has caused the centuries-old raintrees to fall, and erection of steel and tin-roofed structures along the knick-knack market stretching out to the beach pavement from the Dutch cemetery side and truss work on buildings in the heritage zone are all being viewed by conservationists as going against the very grain of heritage preservation.
These are in violation of the Kerala Tourism (Conservation and Preservation of Areas) Act, 2005, which identified Fort Kochi as a special tourism zone, they maintain.
Architect and urban designer P.P. Vivek, who was part of a team of agencies that prepared a 30-year master plan for Fort Kochi and Mattancherry (which was approved by the Tourism Department in February this year) laments that it is lack of ownership that destroys the region’s cultural value. “No one – neither the Tourism Department, nor the Smart City project, nor ASI, not the GCDA, not even the local populace – has a sense of ownership of the heritage of the zone. That’s a matter of serious concern,” he says. “We have proposed some 25 doable projects in the zone and 25 intangible projects, with methodologies to integrate the local people in conserving the zone. The need of the hour is to have a special purpose vehicle (SPV), an exclusive Special Heritage Zone Authority under the Corporation of Kochi as a single window to the projects in the region,” he points out.
Documentation
While documentation of the heritage structures in the zone was atop the recommendations in the master plan, it has not been initiated so far. Monalitha, architect and urban designer, says lack of listing of tangible and intangible heritage and its gradation, which allows for selective intervention vis-à-vis some structures and total conservation of buildings of higher heritage value, is at the root of heritage destruction. “All kinds of unauthorised structures are coming up in the heritage precincts of Fort Kochi with no protection or strategies for transformation. We all look forward to development. And, since Kochi is part of the Smart Cities project, we need effective heritage management strategies. Otherwise new development will destroy the fabric of the old.”
Tanya Abraham of Art Outreach Society, who is also the creative director of the Fort Kochi-based Kashi Art Gallery, blames the decay on fund inflow without any scientific thought or study of heritage. “Tiling around the raintrees causes root damage and eventually their uprooting. Raintrees are part of the ancient landscape of the region. Vendors and others who illegally occupy land are ignored, where land of high value is used for free and damaged,” she says.
The way the Veli ground has been converted with cement tiling is abominable, she says. “The entrances to For Kochi and the historical Odatha, which call for open landscapes, have been enclosed, paved.” The interlocking, tiles, she maintains, on roads without proper drainage, will only lead to waterlogging, something so far unheard of in Fort Kochi.
However, local MLA K.J. Maxi downplays the concerns saying rules have been followed while taking up the projects. “The elevated roads are vehicular traffic-friendly. Tiling in the area adjoining the beach was done for visitors. The granite slabs placed around trees in the Nehru Park can be used like benches,” he says, adding that there will be consultations with local football clubs and the world class practice ground will be opened for clubs at an appointed hour for practice as also for holding football matches.
A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish, nodal officer of the State for the Under-17 World Cup, says nobody complained about the preparations being done for the World Cup.
“The modification of the ground was done as per the requirements and in consultation with various agencies. If need be, after the world cup is over, it could be reversed to the earlier state, subject to consultations,” he says.
