Neglect pushes century-old building to brink of collapse

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A century-old heritage building of the education department at Neyyattinkara civil station is facing imminent collapse due to prolonged neglect, raising serious safety and conservation concerns.One of the earliest structures built in Neyyattinkara region, the building initially functioned as a boy's school and later housed offices of deputy director of education (DEO), assistant educational officer (AEO) and a govt book depot. Due to absence of regular maintenance, wooden framework of the building has been extensively damaged by termites. The roof, including corrugated iron sheets supported by timber beams, was never repaired, worsening the condition of the structure. Textbooks and publications stored in the book depot began to rot, forcing the authorities to merge the depot with the DEO office at civil station and vacate the room in the heritage building.While most education department offices were later shifted to a newly constructed civil station building, several documents and files continue to remain inside the old structure, many of them deteriorating rapidly. The building is now largely unused and has turned into a space where posters of govt employees' organizations are pasted.Locals point out that with proper renovation and maintenance, the building could be reused for govt offices or converted into a history museum showcasing Neyyattinkara's architectural heritage.An education department source said that financial constraints have delayed renovation work. Despite these limited repairs, the overall condition of the heritage structure continues to deteriorate, with no comprehensive conservation plan in place, source explained."We have informed the state govt about the condition of the building and conveyed that at least Rs 1 crore is required for complete renovation. However, no response has been received so far. As part of minor maintenance last year, doors and portions of the roof were repaired. Once we get the fund, we can begin the renovation work," the source said.