KOLLAM: A pond that was once the lifeline of a village now remains abandoned, even at a time when the state is reeling under the worst drought of the century. The authorities have neglected the water body without renovating it to the use of the public. The ‘Nagar Kulam’ at Kanjiramoodu in Ayathil here under the Kollam Corporation initially was 90 cents, which has now dwindled by half, owing to encroachments on all four sides. “We had initiated a project to renovate and construct a park associated with the pond in 2008. The construction of sidewalls was forced to stop halfway because of a stay order procured by one of the residents claiming the ownership of a part of the adjacent land,” former councillor S. Sreekumar told DC.
The pond now has turned into a marsh filled with the invasive water hyacinth. Encroachers also closed a creek that carried water to the nearby fields. The authorities have not bothered to take any action against encroachers. A resurvey has found the pond having 92 cents, and nearly half of it has been grabbed reducing it to a little over 50 cents. “We will include it on the list of ponds to be renovated. We will also clear legal issues over encroachments,” mayor V. Rajendra Babu told DC. The pond was earlier known as ‘Nair Kulam’ as the idol from the nearby Thekkekkavu Temple was taken to this pond for the ritual of ‘Arattu’, a few decades back. This tradition stopped over the time, and a nearby ‘naga kaavu’ or the ‘grove of serpents’ gave its present name ‘Naga Kulam’ meaning – the pond of the serpent.
