Rain hits Padma pond cleaning

Thiruvananthapuram: With the onset of monsoon, cleaning of Padmatheertham pond in the precincts of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple remains an uphill task as the water level in the pond has risen. Restoration of dilapidated kalmandapams (stone pavilions) is also pending.
It was planned to complete the entire process of dewatering and finalizing tenders to begin the cleansing work before the onset of monsoon.But the plan for pond cleansing and restoration work moved at a snail's pace. Though the preliminary work of dewatering and filtering the pond was complete and tenders invited to begin the works, it got delayed with the changes in the temple administrative committee.
On September 24, 2015 the state government had allotted Rs 1 crore and decided to begin the restoration of the pond by October last year. By March this year, the entire pond was dewatered twice and district collector Biju Prabhakar, who is also the member of the Temple administrative committee, had issued orders to all the hoteliers and other establishments in the area to stop discharging effluents into the pond. Despite the orders, many still release sewage to the pond and litter garbage around. Now, with the monsoon gaining sthrength, the pond is again filled with water and mud.
One kalmandapam is already restored and a second one is expected to be restored in a week. After that, beautification works around the pond will be carried out. But, the official tussle over temple administration adds to the delay in implementation of the Supreme Court directive to spruce up the pond.
"Of the Rs 1.64 crore granted by the government for pond restoration, Rs 50 lakh was spent for dewatering and cleansing work at the pond. More works are pending," said an official at the temple.
Then the west-end side wall, rocky steps, fencing around the pond and other repair works are expected to be completed in about three months, he said.
The beautification of the pond by constructing a bathing ghat with lighting arrangements is also planned. For that estimates will be drawn by the temple administrative committee and the technical committee. If it goes well, the beautification works will be completed in a year, the official said.
In the north gate of the temple, the rectification of the drainage system is planned for which Kerala water authority has drawn an estimate of Rs 1.5 crore and the work is expected to be undertaken by Nirmithi Kendra.