Educationists and associations working with the objective of achieving heritage town status for Kancheepuram have welcomed the National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) project, announced in Union Budget on Thursday.
The Union Finance Minister announced that a sum of Rs. 200 crore had been set aside for conserving and preserving the heritage character of Mathura, Amritsar, Gaya, Kancheepuram, Velankanni and Ajmer. The project will involve a partnership between the government, academic institutions and local communities, combining affordable technologies, he added.
Welcoming the project, the vice-chancellor of Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Viswa Mahavidyalaya V.S.Vishnu Potty said that the institute would definitely contribute in the endeavour to preserve the heritage of Kanchi, which flourished as a seat of knowledge in the past.
Extensive surveys conducted by the institution in Kancheepuram and Tiruvannamalai districts as part of the ‘Manuscript Mission’ project, have helped discover several invaluable palm leaf manuscripts that were still available with people.
Commending the decision to involve academic institutions and local communities, the founder of Research Centre for Asiatic Culture, Kancheepuram (retired), P. Annadurai said the announcement is in line with UNESCO’s observation that local communities should be involved in projects aimed at preserving heritage / culture.
Convenor of Kancheepuram Heritage Awareness Committee, Panneerselvam, welcomed the project.