KASARAGOD: Sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman has said that he will not accept the Kerala Sree awards announced by the state government. In an interview to a media, the sculptor stated that he is refusing the award in protest against the government's failure to consider the demand to preserve the sculptures.

"When Kadakampally Surendran was the tourism minister, the parks at Sankhumugham and Veli were distorted. A helipad was constructed at Shangumukham and the place was disfigured. The matter was brought to the notice of the Minister and the Chief Minister but to no avail. The situation is similar in Veli. The tourist village where I worked so hard was defaced. The park at Payyambalam in Kannur is also being neglected. Former Chief Minister EK Nayanar asked to beautify it like Veli Tourist Village. But the park is neglected", Kunhiraman alleged.

The Kerala Awards are the recently established top state honours by the state government on the model of the Central Government's Padma Awards to distinguished individuals who have made comprehensive contributions to the society in various fields.

The awarding process was done at three levels namely Primary Scrutiny Committee (Secretary Level Committee), Secondary Scrutiny Committee and Award Committee. The recommendations submitted by the Secondary Scrutiny Committee were scrutinized by the Awards Committee comprising Adoor Gopalakrishnan, TKA Nair and Dr Khadija Mumtaz, who nominated the government for the first ever Kerala Awards.