Demand for conservation of Ottappalam court complex
Plans afoot to raze down the colonial constructing for the development of a contemporary court complex
The Palghat History Club (PHC) has demanded that the historic civil court complex at Ottappalam be maintained as a monument. Plans have been afoot to raze down the colonial constructing for the development of a contemporary court complex.
“This building from the British era has historic, archaeological and political significance. Therefore, it should not be demolished. Instead, it should be conserved as a monument,” mentioned PHC basic secretary Lijo Panangadan and president Boban Mattumantha.
Among those that endorsed the PHC’s stand had been Hemachandran Nair, former Director of the Department of Archaeology; P.K. Balakrishnan, former Principal of Government College, Chittur; Rajasekharan Nair, former head of the division of historical past at V.T.B. College, Sreekrishnapuram, and historians K. Rajan and S. Rajendu.
The 160-year-old court constructing has had many historic moments to its credit score. The British arrange the court at Ottappalam after they began specializing in Ottappalam and Cherpulassery following the 1792 Srirangapatna treaty. Ottappalam gained in significance after the introduction of the railway.
The court constructing had witnessed the trial of a number of freedom fighters arrested by the British in reference to the primary KPCC assembly of 1921. Judges Madhan Nair and Oyyarath Chandu Menon had been among the many luminaries who labored at this court.
The court offers with instances from 66 villages registered at 11 police stations. Set up by the British, the constructing functioned as ‘Valluvanad district munsiff court’.
“The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act of 1958 clearly suggests conservation of buildings more than 100 years old. This is a historic building, and therefore, it should be conserved,” PHC leaders mentioned.
They added that the Ram Mohan Palace close to the High Court and the Manmohan Bungalow in Thiruvananthapuram had been conserved. The buildings of Kochi and Thalassery constructed in 1930 too are being protected, they identified.
The PHC mentioned the proposed court complex must be inbuilt a separate plot. It mentioned the unused land of the Kanjirapuzha irrigation undertaking could possibly be used for establishing the proposed complex.