THANJAVUR: The project for development of Corporation-owned Thiruvalluvar cinema hall here into a shopping complex is in limbo as work which was stalled in January 2020 is yet to resume over wait for clearance from the National Monuments Authority (NMA).
As part of the Smart Cities Mission scheme, the Corporation planned the "development of Thiruvalluvar theatre into a commercial complex" at a cost of Rs 55.47 crore. The project involved building a three-storeyed structure, besides reservation for parking area in the basement.
The complex is proposed to house shops, a cinema hall on the first floor, a food court, and a children’s play area, a Corporation official told TNIE.
The tenders for the project were floated in 2019, and the shopkeepers along the southern and northern sides of the Thiruvalluvar theatre and also in the Raja Rajan shopping complex on the eastern side were asked to vacate the premises by January 18, 2020. Following their shifting, digging a large pit for pile foundation was taken up. While on it, during the third week of January 2020, an ancient moat wall was discovered on the southern side of the complex.
The discovery raised concerns among history enthusiasts, who raised objections to the project citing the UNESCO heritage monument of Big temple located nearby. "We objected to the work as it would affect the archaeological remains and wanted an excavation," said V Jeevakumar, the legal advisor of the Makkal Nala Peravai of Thanjavur.
Following this the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) issued notice to the city Corporation upon which the work was suspended that January itself. The work is yet to resume.
When contacted Corporation officials said that based on the advice of the ASI, a "heritage impact study" was done. The study, undertaken by REACH foundation in Chennai has been submitted to the NMA by the Corporation. We are awaiting clearance from the NMA. Once we get it the work will resume, they added.
Meanwhile, those traders who vacated the shops for the project stated that they were made to move out in a hurried manner. "We had to vacate the shops in a hurry and many of us were not able to find alternative space immediately," said Murthy who ran a shop in the Raja Rajan complex. He could find an alternative location only after a year. The Corporation should have planned meticulously and given us enough time, he added, pointing to the delay in execution of the project.