Renovation works put authorities on the fence

KOCHI: Amid the increasing furore accusing Archeological Survey of India (ASI) of paying scant attention to the preservation of the monuments in the ‘heritage zone’ at Mattanchery, the crumbled wall of Pazhayannur Bhagavathy Temple Pond near Dutch palace has once again come under the spotlight. Both, the temple as well as the ASI authorities are passing the buck to each other saying that their hands are tied owing to the legal hassle involved in repairing the wall.There are strict regulations regarding construction works within 300-metre radius of a heritage zone and this temple comes under one such zone. Former BJP mandalam president K Vishwanathan said that the situation is precarious as the courtyard of the temple is abuzz with activities like children playing in the area adjacent to the pond in the evenings. “This has increased the trouble. There had been many cases of death caused by people falling into the pond in spite of a fence around it. Now, with the pond filled to the brim and no fence, the danger is double fold. There could be legal hassles, but we need an immediate solution,”  he said.ASI superintending archaeologist M Nambirajan said that the responsibility towards the renovation or repair works of the temple rests with the temple authorities. “Since the temple area falls under the purview of the heritage zone, the temple authorities have to approach the competent authority seeking its repair. However, they have not done it so far and until they do it, we  are helpless in this regard,” he said.Sources with the temple said that they had filed a petition in the High Court seeking the renovation and repair works of the temple six months ago. “The court stated that it could not grant a permission to the authorities and they have to do it by applying to the competent authority. Though we have applied for the work, it is yet to start,” they said.Besides, it has also hurt the religious sentiments of the devotees. “We draw water from this pond for many rituals inside the temple. Without fence, the water in the pond gets contaminated easily,” said a resident of Mattanchery.