‘Appachan’ recalled that when he
was young he had witnessed the gentle waves of the backwaters washing the foundation of the double
storied Post Office building at Menaka, Ernakulam (now a restaurant by name
BIMBIS occupies it). He told us that it was a Collector of Kochi, R.K.
Shanmugham Shetty (1935-1941), who
reclaimed the land in that area and constructed a granite bund which was later
made a road. This explains the origin of the name of this road, “Shanmugham
Road,” which he lit up with street lights. The Cochin High Court was formally
opened by him on June 18, 1938, at Ernakulam. The Collector, Banerji (1907-14),
ordered to reclaim ‘Palathode Canal’ and created what is now “Banerji Road.”
It was much later that the then District
Collector, Krishnakumar (1969-80), made further reclamations. Marine Drive is a
picturesque promenade facing the Cochin estury and the vastness of the Vembanad
backwaters. This is a favourite meeting place of a lot of exercise freaks who
utilize it for their morning walks. Families go there for some open space and
fresh air in the evenings. It is an escape from the concrete jungles that have
surrounded them. The crowded row of buildings with shopping malls, office complexes
and residential apartments, constructed in blatant violation of the Coastal
Protection Zone Rules, have become a cemented barricade for cool breeze and
fresh air that people enjoyed for centuries. Were the town planners in deep slumber or did
they yield to the greasing of their palms? One wonders!! I sincerely hope the
Corporation of Kochi, the GCDA and the government would be more stringent in
their move about the open space situated on the northern side of the Ernakulam market
canal up to the Helipad area. This is the last piece of land left for the
common man to relax.
Another
day we visited the Collectorate and the District Court buildings. They
looked stately in their traditional red colour.
Excerpts from
MEMOIRS
An autobiography
by
Joseph J. Thayamkeril
Lawyer, Kochi, Kerala, India.
josephjthayamkeril.blogspot.com
josephjthayamkeril@google.com
josephjthayamkeril@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment