Kanhangad: What was once hailed as a source of pride for Kanhangad has now become an overgrown, neglected site. Stalled midway through construction, the ambitious Kanhangad Town Square project is deteriorating amid dense vegetation.

The ₹5.5-crore project site has degenerated into a den for anti-social elements and a refuge for packs of stray dogs. Promoted with considerable fanfare as a landmark initiative that would transform the face of the town, the project has instead become a source of inconvenience for local residents.

At a recent meeting convened by MLA Govindan Pallikkappil, Tourism Department officials attributed the delay to the failure to complete construction within the stipulated period and the absence of fresh administrative sanction. Work on the building has remained suspended for over a year. Envisioned as a dream project of former MLA E. Chandrasekharan, the Town Square now stands idle amid technical hurdles.

Sanctioned under the Kasaragod Development Package with an allocation of ₹5.5 crore, the project was drawn up by the Tourism Department on a 60-cent plot near the historic Hosdurg Fort.

The master plan promised a modern, multifaceted public space featuring commercial stalls, a rain pavilion, wheelchair-accessible ramps, seating arrangements, dedicated restrooms for men and women, a nursing room for mothers, utility rooms, a cafeteria, a gaming zone, and an exhibition ground. It was also designed to include rainwater harvesting, streetlights, a senior citizens’ recreation space, a children’s play park, CCTV surveillance, a security cabin, an amphitheater, an art gallery, and a reading center.

Although more than 80 percent of the structural work is complete, local residents face a long and uncertain wait before the remaining work resumes and the vision finally becomes a reality.