The State of Tamil Nadu is set to witness a renewed push for development of some of its heritage towns soon with the Centre taking the lead by sanctioning about Rs. 45 crore for two cities, Kancheepuram and Velankanni.

The two cities have been chosen under one of the flagship schemes of the present Union government - the National Heritage Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY), which has been billed as an initiative towards “reviving the soul of cities” that have a rich heritage.

Though the inclusion of Kancheepuram and Velankanni under HRIDAY was announced at the time of presentation of Union Budget last year, the Centre’s sanction has come only recently, official sources here say.

The detailed guidelines for the scheme have been made public. The allocation of funds has been made on the basis of population, says a senior official, adding that the State is yet to receive the funds.

Essentially to be carried out through the local bodies concerned, the scheme allows the participation of reputed NGOs, besides government agencies of both the Centre and the State. “It will fund projects which have a direct bearing on heritage,” says the official.

HRIDAY can support either restoration of heritage monuments or provision of basic services or development of heritage walks/religious trails or GIS-based mapping of cultural and natural heritage assets or promotion of local heritage industry, including cottage industries managed by women. Most of the projects under the funding would be taken up in the vicinity of heritage monuments, say officials.

In the weeks to come, the local bodies of Kancheepuram and Velankanni will be busy with preparing heritage management plans (HMP). Subsequently, they will have to prepare detailed project reports for specific projects. “Sooner the better,” responds the official to a query whether any timeframe has been set by the Centre.

Even though two of Tamil Nadu’s heritage cities have been included, the State has many towns and cities that deserve to be brought under the scheme.

“The State government has already urged the Centre to include Srirangam. There are many more,” says K.T. Narasimhan, former Superintending Archaeologist in the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and now, Archaeological Consultant in the State government.

Tiruvannamalai, Madurai, Thanajvur and Kumbakonam can all easily fulfil the criteria of the Centre. Each of these cities and towns has unique features and their antiquity is beyond doubt, he asserts.
(The Hindu)