Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will inaugurate the state-of-the-art six-storeyed Muthamizh Arignar Kalaignar Memorial Library in Madurai on July 15. The library has been constructed at a cost of ₹114 crore.
Minister for Public Works and Highways E.V. Velu on Tuesday inspected the arrangements made ahead of the inauguration of the library. The fully air-conditioned library will offer free Wi-Fi, a rooftop garden on the third floor, a 506-seater auditorium, a section for rare books, besides a cafeteria on the campus. Some of the salient features of the library are its art gallery on Tamil culture and an atrium spread across 3,000 sq. ft.
Mr. Velu also inspected the ongoing construction works of the permanent gallery, being established for conducting jallikattu, near Alanganallur. The Minister said that 35 % of the works on the grand arena with modern facilities to host jallikattu, the traditional bull-taming sport, at the foothills of Vaithumalai at Keelakarai near Alanganallur was complete and the construction works was expected to be completed in December. The Chief Minister will be inaugurating the grand arena, he said.
The jallikattu arena is being set up at a cost of ₹44 crore on an area measuring 66 acres. The construction of a stadium to the extent of 77,683 sq. ft. was also under way as part of the project. The project includes the main sporting arena, Vaadivaasal, administrative office, designated space for bull tamers and bulls to undergo medical tests and a health centre, a registration centre for bulls, changing rooms for bull tamers, cloakroom, museum, gallery and dormitory. The sports arena will have stormwater drains, fountains, artificial turf and an overhead water tank with a capacity of 50,000 litres.
The Minister said that since the road leading to the venue was narrow, it would be widened. A draft plan was prepared at an estimated cost of ₹22 crore and the tender process will begin shortly.
Collector M.S. Sangeetha, District Revenue Officer R. Sakthivel and others were present during the inspection.
