[1] In 1925 when the late Marquis of Willingdon was Governor of Madras Province, the question of reclaiming this boggy marshland arose in Parliament and after many heated debates, reclamation was put into operation, lasting over a period of twenty years, eventually producing an island of no mean size.

Black heavy clay silt was scoured from the channel bed by the dredger Lord Willingdon and deposited in vast quantities upon the site, whilst around the perimeter a strong four-foot stone wall was constructed as a safeguard against inroads from the sea.

The Cochin Port Trust (Madras), commandeered the areas fringing the Mattancherry Channel north-west of the island and built fine buildings and a solid wharf.

The rest of the land lay open with an abundance of grass and shrubbery growing in great profusion [1].

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