KOCHI: The dilapidated structure at Parvana Junction in Mattanchery will not escape anybody’s attention. Deserted and stinking, this single storeyed building which was once a landmark in Mattanchery has now turned into a den of anti-social elements. The rest house for tourists built in the 1960s by the Mattanchery municipality is lying abandoned for more than five years. “Though the building was built for tourists, it could not serve the purpose as tourism was yet to catch up. So it was given on lease to various agencies,” sources said. “When the building was constructed, it was under Mattanchery municipality and things were smooth for quite some time. In due course, when the municipality became a Corporation, they started renting out the building." "The Vector Control Research Centre (VCRC), an institute under the Indian Council of Medical Research to study about mosquito menace in Kochi, had also used this building as their office and lab for almost seven years. While the Mattanchery police station was under renovation, this building functioned as the office for about 10 years,” they said. Now the building has become a threat to people residing nearby. “It has become a safe haven for drunkards, especially at night. The building has turned into a mound of trash,” local people said. “The plot infested with snakes. The doors and windows of the building are also missing,” they said. The authorities do not have a proper plan as to what to do with this structure, sources said. “We have sought an explanation from the authorities concerned regarding the current status of the building,” C K Babu, councillor, Panayapally, said. The structure, built in a colonial style, has dilapidated to the core and the Corporation will have to strain every nerve to come with a plan that can bring back the long lost charm of the building.
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