Kozhikode Corporation to review progress of literary corridor project

Kozhikode Mayor O. Sadasivan and other civic body members will hold a meeting with officials of Impact Kerala, a special purpose vehicle for the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) projects in local bodies, on Wednesday (May 13, 2026) to discuss the development of literary corridors, a sprawling network of thematic circuits designed to turn the city’s streets into a living library.

The initiative aims to uphold the city’s title as a UNESCO ‘City of Literature’. Although announced in late 2024, the project has yet to materialise despite receiving funding from the KIIFB. Deputy mayor S. Jayasree told The Hindu that the meeting will review the progress of the project’s implementation.

A sum of ₹3 crore was specifically set aside in the Corporation Budget for UNESCO-branded activities and international literary summits. The State government had allotted ₹100 crore for Kozhikode in the 2023-24 Budget under the Urban Rejuvenation and Beautification Programme.

The 200-metre stretch from the State Public Library to the Mananchira pond is set to be lined with bookshops and reading corners. Aside from this, a ‘Basheer Circuit’ will be developed in Beypore, linking the residence of Vaikom Muhammad Basheer with the iconic ‘Basheer Tree’ (the mangosteen tree). Meanwhile, the ‘Pottekkatt Trail’ will trace locations associated with S.K. Pottekkatt, including S.M. Street, which served as the setting for the novel Oru Theruvinte Katha. The ‘MT Trail’ will be dedicated to Jnanpith winner M.T. Vasudevan Nair, with the State Budget initially allocating ₹1.50 crore for his memorial centre.

Earlier, a city-level committee chaired by former Mayor Beena Philip was constituted to oversee the project. The committee proposed the creation of the literary corridor alongside a recreation zone near the Connolly Canal and a Miyawaki forest at the Sarovaram Biopark. Although the project was expected to be completed within a year, the mayoral leadership changed in December 2025.

​To facilitate the literary corridor, the Corporation had proposed closing Comtrust Road along Mananchira Pond and diverting traffic through the nearby Vaikom Muhammad Basheer Road. However, the proposal drew objections from bus drivers and traders, who raised concerns over possible traffic congestion and inadequate parking facilities near S.M. Street. A traffic trial conducted in May 2025 also failed to yield the expected results.