If administrative hurdles can be set aside, the district collectorate at Kakkanad could soon get a ground abounding in many facilities. According to District Collector P I Sheik Pareeth, the district administration is planning to develop the stretch of land lying in front of the civil station into a ground which can host government functions, competitions and also a tree-lined path where people can come and ease off.
“This land which could have hosted lot of activities has been lying idle for quite a while. When the district administration organised the Chief Minister’s mass contact programme, even a small portion of the aforementioned land could accommodate about 25,000 people,” he said.
The collector said the project would cost about Rs 75 lakh. “It has been designed in such a way that there will be a stage amidst the ground with walkways and an extended lawn,” he said. Shade trees will be planted along the fringes of the ground. Pareeth made it clear that the ground will not be given for any party or private functions. It will be strictly reserved for official functions.
Roadblock
Though the plan is in the pipeline, the major hurdle to the project is the seized sand which is dumped here.
But the district administration is hopeful as the auction which was conducted of late could garner `56 lakh. The sand was seized from Malampuzha and to bring it to the civil station at Kakkanad, it took about `99 lakh. Though it is considerably less amount when compared with the transportation charges of the sand, the official feels that it is a positive sign after two unsuccessful auctions.
According to the administration, a large portion of the sand seized contains clay, and hence people are not ready to buy it. “The first auction was cancelled as we got the lowest bid and the second auction was annulled as the person who won the bid did not pay the amount. This time, to avoid such a possibility, we had taken an advance of ` 13.5 lakh,” he said. The Cusat which was asked to submit a report on the seized sand has stated that only 30 percentage of the sand is usable. Since the amount of the auction and the transportation charge has registered a vast difference, it has to be sent to the Chief Technical Officer at Thiruvananthapuram for verification. “Once it is cleared, we can move ahead with the proposal,” he said. The collector also said that the seized vehicles will be removed to make way for the proposal.
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