Puducherry Guv suggests building 'Statue of Liberty' lookalike for poet Bharathiyar

In a key development, Puducherry Lt Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan proposed the development of a statue of the revered national poet Subramania Bharathi on the seashore of the union territory to promote tourism.

Among other measures, the Lt Governor placed a suggestion to build a sculpture similar to the statue of unity, built as a tribute to the ‘Iron Man of India’, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. She suggested that another such statue of poet Bharathiyar shall also be built, as it will serve as a major tourist attraction and will also make people aware of the works of the poet.

Puducherry Guv suggests formulating comprehensive policies to promote Tourism

While addressing the participants at an event organised by the Department of Tourism Saturday, the Governor stressed that the Union Territory is rich in natural resources and picturesque locations, thus a comprehensive policy shall be formulated to promote tourism.

 ''Natural resources are available here and also the promising spiritual and medical sectors also offer good scope for developing Puducherry into a spiritual and medical tourism centre,'' Lt Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan  said.

The Lt Governor further suggested that a film city be established in Puducherry, allowing the production of films and television series. She also stated that she had made a compelling argument for the enlargement of the airport in the UT, as well as the operation of ferry services between Karaikal and Jaffna (Sri Lanka). She further highlighted that the development of the film city will ensure a steady flow of cash to the government.

''I made this plea while participating in the meeting of the South Zone Chief Ministers' conclave held in Tirupati recently. I will follow it up by requesting the Centre to expand the runway in Puducherry airport`, she said.' 'Tourism is a promising and most vibrant sector in Puducherry. A tall statue for Tamil poet Subramania Bharathi should be erected on the seashore here on the same lines of Statue of Unity erected in honour of the veteran leader Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat,'' Puducherry Governor added.

The world's highest statue, dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, is situated at Kevadia in Gujarat and is a major tourist destination in India, she asserted. The stakeholders' meeting was attended by K Lakshminarayanan, Minister of Public Works and Tourism, Cooperation Minister Sai Saravanan Kumar, officials from the Tourism Development Department, and legislators.

With PTI Inputs

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