The government has decided to do away with Kitco as the implementation agency for the second phase of its flagship cultural conservation project, the Muziris Heritage Project (MHP), which has been held up over the “irreconcilable” stand-off between the consultant of the project, Benny Kuriakose, and the implementation agency that has been under fire for alleged use of sub-standard material and execution of poor quality work.
“There are niggling issues with the first phase of the project, which we are addressing, but are in the meantime awaiting drawings from the conservation consultant to embark on the second phase and we will not have a truck with Kitco on this. The director of tourism is considering various options to zero in on an agency to execute this leg of the work,” V. Venu, Principal Secretary, Tourism, told The Hindu.
On June 27, The Hindu had reported that the project – aimed at creating a cultural heritage zone linking monuments, communities, trades, traditional craftsmanship and historical sites along the stretch of the Periyar river between North Paravur and Kodungallur – was in a slumber and questions were being raised on the standards followed by Kitco.
Rectification work
Meanwhile, it is understood that Kitco, which has the contract for executing the first phase of the project, will carry out the rectification works as proffered by Mr. Kuriakose in a voluminous inspection report of 23 sites part of the project submitted to the government in May.
The report, accessed by The Hindu, zooms in on the defects at each site, with sketches, photographs and the original drawings, maintaining that most of these defects have been highlighted in several inspection reports earlier, to no avail.
‘Ill-qualified’
When contacted, G. Pramod, Joint General Manager of Kitco, squarely blamed the conservation consultant for the hold-up, alleging that Mr. Kuriakose, a civil engineer, was ill-qualified for a conservation project and that the drawings and suggestions were flawed. “We are not going to be on board for the second phase if he continues to be its consultant. But it is our obligation to carry out repairs of work completed as part of the initial phase,” he said, adding that the so-called defects actually resulted from wear and tear over time, as some of the works were completed a few years ago.
Mr. Kuriakose, however, contended that besides a degree in civil engineering, he possessed a Masters in conservation from the York University in the UK followed by a doctorate in housing from IIT, Madras.
A slew of conservation and architectural works done across the globe was there to his credit. “But Kitco has been shoddy in implementing the project as recommended and there have been instances of them using low quality material. With poor workmanship to boot, it has become messy,” he said, maintaining that he was at the drawing board for the second phase of the project.
“We have painstakingly carried out inspections periodically and pointed out corrections, which have largely been ignored. It’s all there on record,” he said.
This has been seconded by Krishnabalan Paliath, manager of Paliam Eswara Seva Trust, which owns the heritage structures of the Paliam family part of the MHP. “There are areas in the Paliam palace that have developed leaks and cracks – evidence of their poor workmanship. They not only used sub-par material, work got delayed too. It is still in an incomplete state and they have not handed it over to us,” he said.