We should try to bring back some of the traditional construction practices that were employed in the past in Kerala, said Speaker G Karthikeyan while inaugurating the statewide celebrations of World Habitat Day at Kanakakkunnu Palace on Monday.
“Our olden constructions have an aesthetic and science of their own which modern-day concrete buildings do not provide,” he said, citing the example of the Pink City, Jaipur, where almost all the buildings have been constructed in their traditional style using the material found there - pink sandstone.
It is very likely that the urban population in Kerala, especially in the three major cities, will increase and accompanying that is the possibility of an increasing urban slum population, said the Speaker. He added that this called for proper planning to deal with housing problems and other issues like traffic and waste management.
The large flats beginning to dot the landscape of Kerala’s cities are more of a bane to the common man, according to K Muraleedharan, who delivered the presidential address.
“These flats are not only unaffordable to the common man, but also are sources of massive waste generation,” he said.
The World Habitat Day, observed on the first Monday of October, was first marked in 1986 with the theme ‘Shelter is My Right.’ The theme this year chosen by the United Nations is ‘Changing Cities, Building Opportunities’ because “cities are the engines of growth”, where people come to in search of a better life.
UN-Habitat calls for better planning for cities to prevent “chaotic development and urban sprawl” and so that they can address the needs of the present and future. The release of the October issue of the Kerala State Nirmithi Kendra Bulletin was also held at the function. There was also a prize distribution ceremony for winners of the school-level painting competition organised earlier by the Nirmithi Kendra and the Kerala State Housing Board.
Housing Board Chairman Arackal Balakrishna Pillai, Nirmithi Kendra Director Rajeev Kariyil, former Principal of College Of Engineering Trivandrum Ashalatha Thampuran and Chairman, Thiruvnanthapuram Development Authority, K Venugopal were also present.
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