Trivandrum's Manaveeyam Veedhi to Get New Facelift

Introduction

As part of the makeover of the Thiruvananthapuram city under the Smart City project, the city civic body Trivandrum Corporation is mulling over the making over of the Manaveeyam Veedhi. As part of this exercise, the civic body has completed the feasibility study of its inclusion in the Smart City project of the Union Government  It has evoked positive response from all quarters. Now, the city civic body has asked for an expert opinion on the beautification project. A team from the College of Engineering Trivandrum (CET) has submitted the sketch and roadmap for the civic body to study it in detail and give it to the state government for its approval. In this article, we will see how the civic body is hoping to bring the makeover of this well-known destination in the capital city of God’s Own Country.

Much Sought-after Makeover

According to some reports emanating from the local media, the Thiruvananthapuram’s cultural corridor Manaveeyam Veedhi is going to get a makeover or facelift in the near future. Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has made it a point to include this in the Smart City project to get the required funding. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in principle has agreed to this proposal. Immediately after getting the Kerala government nod, the capital city civic body had asked the Architecture Department of CET to prepare an architectural plan for beautifying the city. Recently, a team of budding architects consisting of Manoj Kumar Gini, Roja M.S. and Greeshma J. of Architecture Department has presented the plan to the Deputy Mayor Rakhi Ravi Kumar. A team from Abhinaya Theatre Research Centre has assisted the architecture team to prepare the plan.

Likely Features of Renovated Manaveeyam Veedhi

The main aim of this exercise is to reclaim its old glory as a public space for hosting cultural events once again. In the present setup, it is nothing but a parking space for the cars. If the authorities are able to execute the plan without any glitch, this corridor will become totally car-free. The authorities are doing this to make sure the safety of pedestrian and cut the pollution. After the shutting the place off the traffic radar, the plants will be planted to make it a green zone. In order to make sure the cleanliness of the cultural corridor, the authorities are planning to introduce an on-site waste management system. For hosting cultural events, the corridor will have solar-powered lighting and sound systems. Hence, the authorities can use it for movie screening as well. Apart from these facilities, the Manaveeyam Veedhi will also have space for the children to do painting, street art gallery for the art lovers, a library space for serious readers and eateries. The city corporation is also planning to introduce an interactive sculpture in this corridor.  In order to help the free movement of all kinds of people, there will be public toilets for men, women, Transgender and differently-abled people.