Kovalam: A cluster of concrete pillars overgrown with dense brush and creepers along the roadside stands as a quiet reminder of an abandoned cultural centre intended to bolster the Kovalam international tourist destination.

The project, conceived more than a decade ago on a 50-cent plot owned by the Department of Tourism behind the Hawah and Lighthouse beaches, was stalled midway through construction. Today, the unfinished structures and the entire property remain hidden beneath thick undergrowth.

The Tourism Department originally acquired the land in the late 1980s to set up a waste management system for the beach and its surrounding areas. However, plans to commission an incinerator were scrapped following resistance from local residents, leaving the land disused for years. Another attempt in the early 2000s to establish a large-scale waste treatment plant was similarly abandoned after facing sustained public opposition.

Around 12 years ago, authorities decided to repurpose the idle plot for a state-of-the-art, multi-facility cultural centre. Initial construction commenced with the casting of structural concrete pillars, and an access road was developed to resolve connectivity issues to the plot behind the beach.

According to local residents, work ground to a halt shortly after the pillars were erected due to statutory and technical hurdles, including Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearances. Left unattended, the site gradually turned into wilderness.

The location was later slated for revival under the previous state government’s ₹96-crore comprehensive tourism master plan for Kovalam. Although a delegation of officials inspected the premises, the proposal failed to move beyond the announcement stage. Local residents are now urging the current administration to intervene and revive the long-pending project.