Tamil Nadu - Erode   

Odanilai to be made a tourist spot: Minister

Staff Reporter

School building to be demolished

Finance Minister C. Ponniyan releases a book on Kongu Vellalars at Odanilai in Erode on Wednesday. Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Minister P. C. Ramasamy receives the book. - Photo: M. Govarthan

ERODE: The work on the Mani Mandapam costing Rs. 30 lakhs for Dheeran Chinnamalai at Odanilai village and a community hall costing Rs. 20 lakhs will be completed in an year, said the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Minister, P. C. Ramasamy. He was speaking at a function to mark the 200th Memorial Day of Dheeran Chinnamalai.

The Minister said that Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has granted Rs. 19.35 lakhs for the purchase of 7 acres in Odanilai for the construction of Mani Mandapam.

The primary school building on the premises will be demolished and the school will be shifted to another building to facilitate the free flow of traffic.

The Minister unveiled a portrait of Dheeran Chinnamalai. The Finance Minister, C. Ponnaiyan, released a book, Kongu Vellala Communal History.

He said that several representations were made to him by the Kongu Vellala Gounder Peravai and others to include a lesson on Dheeran Chinnamalai in the school textbooks.

He said Dheeran Chinnamalai had shown respect to all communities and helped maintain communal harmony in the Kongu region. The Backward Class Welfare Minister, S. M. Velusamy; the Information and Local Administration Minister, K. P. Anbazhagan; the director of Information and Public Relation Department, C. Muthukumarasamy; the former Minister, K. A. Sengottiyan; the legal heir of Dheeran Chinnamalai, N. Kottraivel; the Kongu Perravai leaders Auditor M. Balasubramanian, R. Devaraj and Best Ramasamy; the Kongu Research Centre Founder, Pulavar Se. Rasu; were among those spoke. The legal heirs of Dheeran Chinnamalai were honoured. The District Collector, D. Karthikeyan, presided. Cultural programmes were held later. On behalf of the Kongu Vellala Gounder organisations free food was served to thousands of visitors at the function.

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