TN parties oppose site chosen for Karunanidhi memorial library

Parties opposed move to raze down the staff quarters of the PWD, where the revered Pennycuick is said to have lived

Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu on Sunday took objection to the DMK Government’s move to raze down the staff quarters of the Public Works Department (PWD), where British Colonel John Pennycuick is believed to have lived, for constructing a world-class library in memory of late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi in Madurai.

John Pennycuick is a revered figure in southern Tamil Nadu, especially in Madurai and Theni, as he played a pivotal role in the construction of the Mullaperiyar Dam, which is the lifeline of thousands of farmers in the region.

Madurai district collector S Aneesh Sekar said on Saturday that the government has chosen the PWD staff quarters in Madurai for establishing the Kalaignar M Karunanidhi Memorial Library at a cost of Rs 70 crores. Chief Minister M K Stalin had announced on June 3 that the library will be modelled on the lines of the Anna Centenary Library in Chennai.

Opposition parties like AIADMK, BJP, and PMK condemned the government’s move to raze down the “place where Pennycuick resided” and construct the library. The parties said the government can choose any other spot to build the library but not by razing down an “iconic structure.”

However, the district administration said there was no proof to establish that the British Colonel lived in the PWD staff quarters. In a joint statement, AIADMK leaders O Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami said the PWD quarters is being maintained by successive governments for the past 100 years and it is imperative that the structure remains so that the younger generations learn about Pennycuick.

They also recalled Karunanidhi himself unveiling a statue of Pennycuick in Madurai. The library to be constructed at a cost of Rs 70 crore will have eight floors and a collection of over six lakh books.