Alappuzha Heritage Project in limbo

21 museums, 11 monuments, 5 public places form part of the Rs.200-crore project

ALAPPUZHA The Gujarati Street in Alappuzha municipality, with its heritage buildings and mansions -- mostly built during the colonial era, has many stories to tell. It was here that the 1992 Malayalam blockbuster Vietnam Colony was filmed. But most importantly, and in the annals of history, the Gujarati Street will be remembered for its significant role in the evolution of Alappuzha as a port town. 

After the Diwan of Travancore Raja Kesavadas developed the Alappuzha port in 1762, the Venice of the East became the trade centre for spices, coir and so on. Several Gujarati merchants belonging to Jains, Kutchi Memons, Parsis and Vaishnavites moved and settled across the Commercial canal, which later became the Gujarati Street. After decades of maritime trade hegemony and development, the port town lost its glory as another port in Kochi flourished. The Gujarati Street, which once housed hundreds of families, shops and establishments of Gujarati communities and witnessed a great deal of activities, now paints a contrasting view with some of the old structures crumbling and in a dilapidated state. Fewer than 40 families of Gujarati origin remain as majority left for pastures new. That said, its long-cherished heritage is an invaluable treasure that needs to be protected. 

Aware of its importance, the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government proposed to restore Gujarati heritage areas as part of the multi-crore Alappuzha Heritage Project. The project covers the entire ‘Gujarati Quarters’, which includes the Beach road, Gujarati Street and the Muppalam (triple bridge) area along with the creation of Orma Theruvu (memory street). Unfortunately, many years have passed, but the project has hardly made any progress. 

“Gujarati Street conservation is one of the several components of the ambitious Alappuzha Heritage Project. The community was eagerly looking for the project to enter the implementation phase. Although a memorandum of understanding was signed between Muziris Project Ltd. and Anil Seth (a businessman belonging to the community who left Alappuzha a few years ago) to convert one of his heritage properties here into a Gujarati Heritage Centre on a profit-sharing basis two years ago, the work has not been tendered yet. 

“It has raised concerns among other members of the community who were willing to hand over their properties for the project. To my knowledge, Anil Seth is planning to withdraw from the agreement as nothing is happening on the project implementation front,” says a person in the know, who is a member of the Gujarati community in Alappuzha. 

Further west, remnants of the old sea pier on the Alappuzha beach, a pivotal part of the port, are set to join the vast expanse of the ocean soon. A proposal for its conservation along with the construction of a new sea pier, another component of the heritage project, has yet to gain momentum. 

The much-touted Alappuzha Heritage Project mooted by former Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac to reclaim the lost glory of the old port town by conserving and putting on view its unique history and heritage to the general public has almost come to a standstill.