Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa would unveil the bronze statue of British engineer Colonel John Pennycuick, the man behind the 119-year old Mullaperiyar dam, in Theni District on January 15.
The statue erected at a memorial amid the scenic Western Ghats at Lower Camp in Theni district has been constructed at a cost of Rs 1.25 crore, an official release said today.
Mullaperiyar dam, built in 1895, saves rainwater received in the Western Ghats and is the primary source for irrigation of lands in Theni, Dindugal, Madurai, Sivagangai and Ramanathapuram districts in southern Tamil Nadu.
Jayalalithaa would also handover various annual awards instituted in the memory of Tamil scholars and leaders such as Thiruvalluvar Award on the occasion.
Those selected for the awards are: Dr N Murugesan (Seyon) for Thiruvalluvar Award, Dr K Samarasam for Thanthai Periyar Award, D Pandian for Annal Ambedkar Award, K R P Manimozhiyan for Perarignar Anna Award, Singaravadivel for Perunthalaivar Kamarasar Award, `Bharathi Kavalar` K Ramamurthy for Mahakavi Bharathiyar Award, Professor Dr S N Kandasamy for Pavendar Bharathidasan Award, Dr Prema Nandakumar for Thamizhthendral Thiru Vi Ka Award and Dr N Rajagopalan (Malaiyaman) for Muthamizhkavalar K A P Viswanatham Award.
Each of the award carries a cheque of Rs one lakh, a sovereign gold medal and a citation. The Chief Minister would also give final assistance to aged Tamil poets.
PTI
