The Tamil Nadu government’s ongoing construction of the Nandhavana Poonga, an integrated spiritual, cultural and environmental park at Thiruvidandai near Chennai, has come under criticism from PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss, who has opposed the use of land belonging to the Aalavandhar Trust for the project, as reported in Hindu Tamil.
The project is being developed on 218 acres of land belonging to the Aalavandhar Trust in Thiruvidandai village along the East Coast Road. The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department and the Tourism Department have jointly taken up the project at an estimated cost of ₹112.13 crore, with the Centre providing ₹99.67 crore as special assistance.
The project is planned to be implemented in four phases. The first phase, costing ₹22.53 crore, includes cultural-themed installations, a lotus garden, lawns and walkways. The foundation stone for the first phase was laid on March 5 during the previous DMK government, while construction has now commenced and is progressing.
Under the proposed arrangement, 60% of the revenue generated by the park will reportedly go to the HR&CE Department and 40% to the Tourism Department.
While the project is intended to promote tourism and create employment and revenue opportunities, Anbumani has argued that the land being used for it was endowed for specific religious purposes and should not be diverted for other government projects.
Anbumani Questions Use Of Trust Land
In a statement, Anbumani said the Aalavandhar Trust owns around 1,054 acres at present. The properties are currently administered by the HR&CE Department.
Aalavandhar Nayakar, who was born in 1835 in Nemmeli in Chengalpattu district, is said to have accumulated around 1,550 acres through his efforts and subsequently donated the properties to the Thiruvidandai Nithya Kalyana Perumal Temple for religious purposes.
Anbumani pointed to a 1918 Madras High Court judgment, which he said had permitted the trust’s surplus properties to be used for educational purposes when questions arose over whether land exceeding the requirements of the religious endowment could be used for other purposes.
He argued that the Nandhavana Poonga project would go against the purpose for which the properties were endowed.
According to Anbumani, Aalavandhar Trust properties have been diverted for various purposes over several decades. He cited the allotment of five acres during the 2001-06 AIADMK government for the Bharatha Munivar Cultural Centre and the subsequent allocation of around 125 acres at low rents for seawater desalination projects to the state’s Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department.
He alleged that the previous DMK government had also pursued several proposals involving the trust’s properties.
These included a proposed auction in July 2023 to lease 60 acres at Pattipulam to private companies for five years at a monthly rent of ₹22.02 lakh. He also referred to plans to lease 29.175 acres for a proposed advanced film city, followed by another 70.825 acres, as well as proposals to lease additional 50-acre and 100-acre parcels to private construction companies.
Anbumani further alleged that the previous government had proposed using 564 acres of casuarina plantations belonging to the trust for a solar power project through the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board. He claimed the PMK had opposed and stopped these proposals.
PMK Demands Project Be Dropped
Anbumani said the PMK supported tourism development and projects that could create employment and increase government revenue. However, he argued that such projects should be developed on government-owned land rather than properties donated for specific purposes.
He has called for the ongoing Nandhavana Poonga construction at Thiruvidandai to be stopped, arguing that the 218 acres earmarked for the project should not be diverted from the trust’s stated objectives.
Anbumani also suggested that the spiritual, cultural and environmental park could instead be established on government-owned land in another location.
He further argued that the trust’s surplus properties should be used for the education, employment and economic advancement of the Vanniyar community, which he said continues to lag behind in these areas.
Seeks Autonomous Board For Aalavandhar Trust
Beyond opposing the park project, Anbumani has demanded a change in the administration of the Aalavandhar Trust’s properties.
He has called for the management of the trust’s properties to be taken away from the HR&CE Department and handed over to an autonomous management committee.
He urged the Tamil Nadu government to constitute a board of trustees similar to the one established for the P.T. Lee Chengalvaraya Naicker Charities, arguing that an autonomous body would ensure that the properties are not diverted for purposes contrary to the objectives of the Aalavandhar Trust.
Anbumani maintained that the government should immediately halt the ongoing construction and ensure that the trust’s properties are used only in accordance with the purposes for which Aalavandhar had originally endowed them.
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