Tangasseri, Kollam is stepping into the Kerala tourism spotlight with many of its sights and sounds marked for development. A land scaped park is coming up within the fishing harbour complex at Tangasseri with the ruins of the 16th century Portuguese built Fort Thomas as the backdrop. The fort, situated on the tangasseri panhandle of Kollam, was once the citadel, from where the Portuguese controlled the coastal belt from Kollam to Anchuthengu. During the latter half of the 17th century, they surrendered the fort to the Dutch and towards the end of the 18th century, the fort came under the British.

The ruins of the fort will get a facelift on getting the sanction from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)and concrete steps will be taken, for the first time preserve and beautify the remains. The project would be completed in two phases and the ongoing first phase, which will cost Rs 70 lakh is being carried out by the Harbour Engineering Department, with architectural consultancy from Chennai based firm. In this phase, to be commissioned by the end of October, tiles will be laid on the fort complex and lights and seats will be installed. The adjacent park will comprise a children’s enclave and a cafeteria. A tiled pathway will be laid to reach the 2.5 km-long breakwater.

Lookouts into the sea will be constructed along the breakwater in the second phase. There will be a pathway meandering through the panhandle and leading to the inspection bungalow of the Harbour Engineering Department on the border of the century-old lighthouse built by the British. The first and second phases together cost Rs.1.9 crore.

The breakwater has developed into a reef and has become a marine attraction as it hosts fascinating range of marine life.