KANNIYAKUMARI: Most of the maintenance works, including chemical coating, for the 133-foot statue of Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar in Kanniyakumari, has been completed and the structure would be opened again to tourists soon, said officials from the tourism department.
This is the fifth maintenance stint of the statue that was first opened to the public on July 8, 2002. The chemical coating is carried out for the structure, which is located near the Vivekananda memorial rock, every four years as the sea breeze deposits salt content on it.
The latest maintenance stint had begun in June last year and had got delayed owing to heavy wind and incessant rainfall. "Once the salt deposit on the statue was removed, we began repointing works and chemical cleaning.
This was followed by ammonia teepol cleaning, paper pulp treatment and application of the chemical-protective coating," the sources said. The rocks for the statue were brought from Sirudamur, Pattamalaikuppam Hills and Ambasamudram Hills.