Amid a call to conserve the heritage characteristics of the Kanakakunnu Palace, which is listed as a heritage monument by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, its premises have now been developed into the first ‘night tourism destination’ in Kerala.
The project, in the heart of the capital city, is expected to launch night tourism activities in the State in an informal way. However, the landscaping works on the palace premises have courted a controversy and led to a legal battle.
According to Tourism department sources, the palace premises are one of the most celebrated venues in the city witnessing various public functions, including exhibitions, cultural events and so on. However, night-time activities are not encouraged on the campus due to security reasons, resulting in the popular venue in the core of the city becoming dead during night.
Against this backdrop, the new project was conceived to make the venue lively during the night. For this existing landscape components are revived. The department awarded the ₹2.63-crore project to upgrade the existing landscape along with installing surveillance system and setting up a food street to Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society.
The work, however, has irked the greens who alleged that the upgrading and landscaping works are executed without taking into account the architectural and heritage value of the palace and its precincts.
Unscientific construction
Sanjeev S.J. president, Environment Protection and Research Council, who approached the Kerala High Court seeking a stay on the work, said the work literally altered the face of the heritage zone. “Though the court did not stay the work, it has asked the State not to fell any trees or undertake any demolition in the zone. Now, we have decided to submit all the details of the illegal and unscientific construction activities being carried out in the zone in the court in the next hearing,” said Mr. Sanjeev.
But government sources said they had not cut a single tree in the heritage zone. The project was nearing completion except for some security-related works, which would be completed soon.
Writer Asha Gopinathan, who recently led a protest at the venue, said if the government was desperate to promote night tourism, it should have chosen venues close to the IT hub in the capital where techies really needed a place for recreational activities during the night. Turning a heritage zone into a concrete jungle in the name of night tourism could not be agreed upon, said Ms. Gopinathan.
