KOCHI: The Local Resource Persons (LRP) working on the Muziris Heritage submitted a memorandum requesting the Tourism Minister A P AnilKumar to resume their activities. The 70 odd persons have been out of their jobs since June this year. The LRPs were selected last year under the Muziris Heritiage Project to perform the grassroot operations of the project. Collection of data at the local level, identification of important heritage sites and artefacts, spreading awareness about the project, creation of maps and assistance in archeological operations at the Muziris sites were some of the work allocated to them. “Most of the data and artefacts we have collected today are through these resource persons. All the selected have a good understanding of their locality and could gather materials with historical importance. Even helping us getting artefacts from individual houses was possible largely because of them,” says an official involved with the project.The LRPs were paid only a sum of `1250. Moreover, even though the members worked till mid-July, they have not received the salary of even the month of June. Many ventured into the project with the hope of securing a job at the museums and offices that would come up in their locality with the launch of the Heritage Project.“We were hoping this would help us get a job in the future and also help in the development of the locality. It was done as a service. But now they are saying that we have not worked well and will be replaced,” says a 49 year old LRP from Vadakkekara.“We have sent requests to the Ministry to review the programme. The shortfalls of the project have to be identified and taken up. But we have not received any response as of now,” said P Vijayan, Special Officer of Muziris Heritage Project. The resource persons had worked for a more than one year starting mid-2010. During that period they were given three training courses on various aspects of conservation and data collection under the Centre for Heritage Studies.
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