Nagercoil

Convenor Dr. R.S. Lal Mohan reports that after obtaining permission from the PWD and the District Collector, the Chapter cleaned up the Chemmankulam Tank. It is all the more creditable that Chapter members contributed Rs.30,000 towards this, and then sought the help of Itachi Earth Movers.

This 7th Century tank, extending over an area of 16 acres, was in a highly degraded condition due to the attitude of the authorities. It had not been desilted for the last 50 years and was eutrophied with aquatic weeds.

Today, about 20 acres are irrigated by the tank, but many of the paddy fields are being illegally parcelled into housing plots by the land mafia and their usual colluders.

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Salem

The Clock Tower, that iconic landmark of Salem, is once again facing the threat of demolition. It is a historic building designed by Sir Mokshagundam Vishweswaraya, the eminent engineer-statesman, who played a major role in building modern India in the 1930s.

This trapezium-shaped building stands at the crossroads of two prominent roads leading to the old market of the city. A former Collector had reversed the proposed demolition plans and given permission for its conservation by the Indian Bank, after several reports and a detailed technical study by the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, reiterated its structural stability. The new District Collector, however, has abandoned the idea of conserving the structure. Press reports hint at “hidden forces influencing the decision.” They also quote Chapter members as saying, “We have hit a wall. A flat ‘no’ is the answer we now get to our pleas to save the structure.” Chapter members are considering a PIL. The Collector has been requested to consider popular sentiment, and the people’s belief that demolition will be a mark of disrespect to a national leader (Vishweswaraya).

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The Salem Municipality came into existence on November 1, 1866. INTACH members celebrated Salem Day for the first time this year. A plaque describing the history of a 125-year-old lamp post was installed next to the Corporation building. The lamp post was erected in 1885 to commemorate political activist Ramaswami Mudaliar’s visit to London at the head of a delegation, to seek relief for the grievances of the people from the British Government. The Chapter has started the process of identifying similar structures of historic importance to install many more commemorative plaques, and has obtained the necessary permission for this effort. (Courtesy: INTACH Virasat)