The Convention centre coming up on a sprawling 2.47 acres at Tamukkam Grounds in Madurai may soon open its doors to the public by this month end.
Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department Secretary Shiv Das Meena, Director of Municipal Administration P. Ponniah, along with Corporation Commissioner Simranjeet Singh Kahlon, took up inspection at the centre on Thursday.
The centre, which is built under the Smart Cities Mission at a cost of ₹47.72 crore, will be a major facility, especially for businessmen, industrialists and traders, to hold exhibitions and fairs. It will equally prove to be a recreational place for the general public.
According to a Corporation official, 98% of the work on the centre, which was started on May 11, 2020, is complete. The entire work is expected to be over by September-end. It will be fully air-conditioned and will accommodate around 3,500 people at once.
“A separate kitchen and dining hall are also a part of the project which will encourage more wedding events to take place. The centre is also differently-abled friendly,” said the official.
The underground parking has been designed to accommodate 234 cars and 357 two-wheelers as well.
Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce president N. Jegatheesan said they were awaiting the inauguration of the centre. “It will definitely prove helpful to hold fairs and expos as it is located at a hotspot. But we will need to wait to see how functional it is,” he added.
MADITSSIA president M.S. Sampath called for the Corporation to fix rents at concession rates for industrialists, which will boost industrial growth largely.
The team also inspected additional classrooms for Corporation Primary School in Simmakkal, Corporation’s micro-composting centres at Ellis Nagar, a resident’s terrace garden at Pasumpon Nagar, dump yard at Vellakal and reviewed its functions, stated a press release.
Speaking to The Hindu, a resident, Santha Gopalakrishnan, 61, said she took up terrace gardening during the lockdown in 2020. “I learnt about making fertilisers from them. People need to be more mindful of sorting the waste generated from their homes,” she said. She grows chilli, radish, brinjal, sugarcane, pumpkin, bitter gourd, greens etc.,
Deputy Corporation Commissioner Mujibur Rahman, City Engineer, A. Lakshmanan, City Health Officer, S. Vinothkumar and others were present on the occasion.
