THOOTHUKUDI: Marking the 154th birth anniversary of the late municipal chairman C Cruz Fernandes, Chief Minister MK Stalin inaugurated the unveiling of his statue at Municipal MGR park premises through video conference from Chennai.
On behalf of the Information and Publicity department, a full-size statue of C Cruz Fernandes with a dome was installed at a cost of Rs 77.87 lakh following a government order passed in 2021.
Cruz, the five time municipal chairman during the time of the British, between 1909 and 1925, is still revered for taking up the challenging task to bring piped drinking water from Thamirabarani river to Thoothukudi town all the way from Vallanadu located 38 km away. The supply of drinking water developed the city in various aspects, and hence he is called as the Father of Thoothukudi town.
After the inauguration, MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Minister Geetha Jeevan, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Minister Anitha R Radhakrishnan, district collector G Lakshmipathy, and mayor NP Jegan honoured the great grand daughter of Cruz, Ramola Vaz.