Thrippunithura: Full-fledged research activities continue to elude the Ayurvedic Research Centre in Thrippunithura, with its advanced laboratories still awaiting full commissioning even five years after inauguration.

Despite the building and infrastructure completion at a cost that ran over several crores of rupees, full-fledged research activities have not yet commenced at the facility.

While collaborative research with other institutions is underway, the inability to fully commission its own laboratories has stemmed the centre’s progress. The research facility was inaugurated during the first Pinarayi Vijayan government.

The civil works of the laboratories were nearly 90 per cent complete when lapses on the contractor’s side led to delays in the project. Despite receiving two schedule extensions, the previous contractor could not complete the work due to financial difficulties. The contract was subsequently cancelled and authorities decided to settle payments for the completed work.

A new contractor has now been assigned to complete the remaining work, and more than 60 basic pieces of equipment have already been installed in the laboratories. However, the lab will become fully operational only after the arrival of key instruments required for phytochemical studies of medicinal plants, drug quality testing, metallic content detection, and toxicity analysis.

Officials, meanwhile, maintain that steps have been initiated to resolve the remaining issues and make the laboratories operational within the next three months.

Centre gears up with two key laboratories
Two major laboratories are being developed at the research centre. The phytochemistry laboratory will support in-depth studies on medicinal plants, while a clinical laboratory for biochemical testing is also being set up, with its services to be made accessible to the public as well.

Discussions with Hindlabs, a unit of the central public sector undertaking HLL Lifecare Limited, for the operation of the clinical laboratory are also in the final stages. If the collaboration materialises, diagnostic tests that currently cost around ₹500 outside are expected to be made available to the public at ₹100.