Perur in Coimbatore District and Thirumuruganpoondi in Tirupur district are known for the ancient temples and sculptures. While the State Government had included Perur in the list of Heritage Towns earlier, it added Thirumuruganpoondi to the list on Tuesday.
CircularAn official of the Coimbatore Local Planning Authority says the archaeology department should issue a circular on development restrictions around the temple. Usually, there are restrictions on the height of the building and development of industries for a specific radius from the temple.
Ravi Sam, chairman of Confederation of Indian Industry, Tamil Nadu, says the State Government’s announcement is a welcome measure to protect the heritage, monuments and art of these towns. There are heritage towns such as Kala Ghoda in Maharashtra and Fort Kochi in Kerala that can be models for development.
Even two decades ago, there were several choultries in Perur. He suggested formation of heritage town committees for each place and a set of guidelines to ensure there is no unplanned growth in these towns in the State. Programmes should be developed for the benefit of the local residents.
The Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Coimbatore, had appealed to the Union and State Governments 10 years ago to declare Perur as Heritage Town. According to D. Nandakumar, president of the Chamber, even a year ago some of the non-governmental organisations here planned to take up a project at Perur to develop it as a heritage town. These organisations should be permitted to take up the project and implement it according to their plan, with the approval of the Government.
Shankar Vanavarayar, convenor of INTACH - Coimbatore, says there should be elaborate plans for these towns.
