Pathanamthitta: The construction of the wedding hall in Adichippuzha has come to a standstill after ₹50 lakh allocated from the MLA fund lapsed due to delays by the authorities responsible for preparing the project estimate. The incomplete structure — its pillars and foundation now engulfed by vines and creepers — stands as a symbol of bureaucratic negligence in the district’s largest tribal Unnathi settlement.

Adichippuzha once had a functional community hall constructed during the tenure of former minister P K Velayudhan, offering residents a space to gather. Over time, the building deteriorated and eventually became unusable. To replace it, former MLA Raju Abraham earmarked ₹50 lakh from his MLA fund to construct a new wedding hall for the community.

However, progress halted soon after the project was announced, as the declaration of the assembly elections brought all new works to a temporary freeze. After the change in government, funds belonging to former MLAs were allowed to be used with special approval from the Finance Department, and district authorities instructed the LSGD engineering section to submit the required estimate.

But when staff at the MLA office enquired about the delay, they discovered that the documents had not been forwarded at all. Once the estimate was finally prepared, construction began on a contract basis and the initial phase — including the foundation and pillars — was completed. Before the next stage could begin, the validity period for utilising the allocated funds expired, leaving the project without financial backing.

With the site now abandoned and the structure deteriorating, residents are urging the government and the Scheduled Tribe Welfare Department to step in and complete the wedding hall without further delay.