Experts say Thiruvananthapuram Corporation needs to fulfill its promises.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation will have to first complete the existing housing projects before new projects can be taken up, says Costford joint director P.B. Sajan. “The corporation will have to find gap funding for centrally assisted housing schemes like PMAY and BSUP as there will be variations in construction cost. “They will have to identify sites for LIFE Mission where apartment complexes can come up,” he says.

A museum exclusively dedicated to the history of Thiruvananthapuram city is one of the proposals which heritage and cultural activists placed before the Corporation a week ago. D Reghoothaman, one of the activists who signed the proposal, is hopeful that there will be budgetary allocation for it in the 2017-2018 budget to be presented by deputy mayor Rakhi Ravikumar on Friday. “Most cities have such a museum,” says Mr Reghoothaman. “Thiruvananthapuram ought to have one, too.” He reiterates the importance of more government-owned cultural spaces, especially affordable to artists. “It is in this context that spaces like Manaveeyam Veedhi become important,” he says.

The Corporation had promised that the street between Trippadapuram and Karyavattom will be turned into a cultural street like Manaveeyam Veedhi, according to Rajeev Krishnan, secretary, Pratidhwani, an NGO of Technopark employees. “We are hopeful that promises made will be fulfilled. One of these was turning the road behind Technopark backgate into a cultural street. There were also proposals to develop a walkway from Technopark to Kazhakkoottam and a foot overbridge from Technopark to Kazhakkoottam railway station. These should be taken forward,” he says.