KOZHIKODE: Architect Vinod Cyriac said it was high time the authorities stopped talking and took concrete steps to convert SM Street, the most charming historic piece of the city, into a heritage street. "It's more than 20 years since we started discussing it," he told DC. “I remember when I started my career in the early 1990s there was a competition for architects organised by the municipal corporation on converting the SM Street into a heritage street sans any permission to vehicles. My team and the team of Prasanth and Associates had won the completion jointly, and we were assigned to the project. Now the same process is still on, but no action.”
A product of Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT), Mr Cyriac, the founder of Space Craft, an architecture firm in the city with strong social bonds, is known for his unique mix of design and social commitment. "Only names are changing, and the crowd continues to flow down the street along with the terrific pack of autorickshaws, cars, bikes, etc.,” he said. The first step for the conversion, he feels, is banning of vehicles. "Let it be a walking street where people can walk. Not even bicycles are allowed," he said.
"It would invite the attraction of a new section of people into the street. Potential customers- tourists from across the world who love history and abhor the hustle and bustle of the city, let them walk, interact with traders, old men and children and learn about the specialities of the town from the street." On the reported protest from traders, he said it was the failure of those who head the initiative. The traders should be convinced of the benefits. "I don’t think it is too tough a job to convince them as many of them are youngsters. Rather some elements want to stall the project and reap some profit," he says. “There should be a concerted effort from all corners to ensure SM Street a silent heritage walkway.”
