Chikku and his gang of friends from the Kattuvayal colony at Nadakkavu are a worried lot these days. If the Indian Coast Guard has its way, they could soon be losing their football ground, the only open space in the colony. Not in a mood to relent are the hundreds of people in the locality, spread over various residents’ associations, who have been on a campaign for the past several years to save the ground.
In the late 1970s, 2.5 acres of land, including the area now occupied by the football ground, was taken over from private parties by the Calicut Development Authority (CDA). Though the original plan was to set up a community hall and commercial complexes, it never took off.
The land became a football ground for the local people and before long, demands for a mini-stadium in the area were raised. A decade ago, the CDA handed over 1.5 acres of land to the Coast Guard to build residential complexes for its staff.
“There was impropriety even in the first instance of handing over land to the Coast Guard. Any land acquired from private parties should be used for the purpose for which it is acquired. We should have opposed it then,” K.P. Vijayakumar, chairman of the ground protection committee, said.
When the CDA was dissolved, there was a move to construct a memorial to Vaikom Mohammed Basheer in the area. This plan was shelved following local protests. There was another move to construct a mini-stadium, which never came to fruition.
The Coast Guard later requested for the one acre of land occupied by the football ground to set up an administrative office, which led to the current impasse.
“This is the only open space in this thickly populated locality. We will not allow this ground to be put to any other use as long as we are alive,” K.T. Aravindakshan, convener of the protection committee, said.
The residents even organised a sevens football tournament in the ground last year, which turned out to be a huge success. At last week’s city Corporation council meeting, it was decided to request the State government to reassess the selling price of the land. The current value of Rs.10 lakh for a cent was set around two years ago.
“We suggested other locations to the Coast Guard for their administrative office. However, they did not accept these suggestions. They wanted the land adjacent to their existing residential complexes,” Corporation Mayor A.K. Premajam said.
The Coast Guard and the Corporation can expect tough opposition if the plan goes through.
