With piles of waste dumped on the premises gone, one fails to recognise the place any more.
The steps that have been used as a shortcut from Oyitty Road junction to the Mele Palayam railway overbridge now wears a new look, enhancing the beauty of Chembotty Lane that has been the copper and brass hub of the city for decades.
It took around two months of dedicated efforts by students of Devaki Amma’s Guruvayurappan College of Architecture, some engineers and environmental activist Pramod Mannadath to convert the dingy stairs into the ‘Rainbow Stairs’ of today.
For a cleaner city
It started more than a year ago when the students identified the place as the best spot to start their ‘Making the City’ project in which they planned to contribute to make the city a cleaner place. With the cooperation of Kozhikode Municipal Corporation, the district administration and waste management firm Niravu Vengeri, they removed and sent for recycling around 130 bags of non-biodegradable waste from the place.
The renovation work began on October 2 this year. The college spent around ₹3 lakh for the construction of a mini park and on upgrading the structure. The social welfare club of the college has taken up maintenance of the park in the coming years.
“We wanted it to be something noticeable immediately and hence the rainbow colours. It will prevent people from dumping waste there in the future,” said Shinoop P.M., staff coordinator of the project.
Mayor Thottathil Raveendran will open the ‘Rainbow Stairs’ at 5 p.m. on Saturday while District Collector Seeram Sambasiva Rao will be the guest of honour.
