Demolition of Alappuzha's historic beach dais triggers Congress protests
The demolition of a historic Alappuzha beach dais, which previously hosted Indian prime ministers, has sparked a political row. While Congress protesters condemned the heritage loss, officials insisted the approved tourism project complied properly.
The demolition of a historic Alappuzha beach dais, which previously hosted Indian prime ministers, has sparked a political row. While Congress protesters condemned the heritage loss, officials insisted the approved tourism project complied properly.
The demolition of a historic Alappuzha beach dais, which previously hosted Indian prime ministers, has sparked a political row. While Congress protesters condemned the heritage loss, officials insisted the approved tourism project complied properly.
Alappuzha: The demolition of a historic public dais near the old sea bridge at Alappuzha beach, carried out under the Union Tourism Ministry’s Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme, has triggered political controversy, drawing sharp protests from Congress workers.
The stage held historical significance as the venue from which former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, along with veteran Congress leader K Karunakaran, addressed large public gatherings in previous decades. It was cleared as part of an ongoing beach beautification and development initiative.
Senior Congress leader P J Mathew recalled that Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi had addressed crowds from this platform while campaigning for prominent party leaders, including A K Antony, V M Sudheeran, Vakkom Purushothaman, P J Francis, Ramesh Chennithala, and D Sugathan. He noted that the former prime ministers would arrive by helicopter at the adjacent Recreation Ground before proceeding to address the rallies at the beachfront venue.
Local municipal councillor R Amjathkumar stated that despite numerous events and development projects being implemented at the beach over the years, the structure had always been preserved. He alleged that the municipality was not consulted regarding the ongoing concrete construction being carried out in the name of tourism, adding that the project encroached upon the beach area, narrowed the adjacent road, and resulted in the dismantling of a heritage landmark.
Officials of the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC), however, dismissed the allegations. They maintained that the project area legitimately extends up to the sea bridge and that initial surveys under Swadesh Darshan 2.0 clearly indicated that land utilization at the site was essential for the project's execution. Authorities added that appropriate approvals were obtained, there were no legal or procedural obstacles to clearing the structure, and a commemorative plaque related to a historic railway inauguration at the site was safely removed and preserved.