Narikuravars would soon get their own space to sell their products, mostly beads, as a small exclusive commercial complex for the community near Girivalam path in Tiruvannamalai town is coming up, making it first of its kind in the State.
Officials of District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), which is executing the work, said that the commercial complex aims to provide sustainable livelihood for the marginalised community. The new facility will help them earn a good income by selling handmade products to devotees, including foreign travellers, who visit the famous Arunachaleswarar temple in the town.
Collector B. Murugesh inspected the ongoing work at the complex on Saturday. “Most of the work in the new complex has been completed. The new facility will be ready to be inaugurated on September 15 to mark the birth anniversary of C.N. Annadurai, former Chief Minister,” P. Ramakrishnan, Executive Engineer (EE), DRDA (Tiruvannamalai), told The Hindu.
The rise in tourist footfall to the temple town was the major reason to set up the complex for narikuravars, who are found in large numbers along the Girivalam path over many decades. It was found that the total number of visitors to the temple town, on an average, has increased from two lakh to five lakh persons, especially during Chitra Pournami festival for the past few years, the DRDA officials said. As many visitors prefer to buy handmade items, especially from narikuravars, the State government has decided to set up the complex for the community in the town.
Designed as an umbrella-shaped facility, costing around ₹one crore, the complex has been divided into nine compartments. Each compartment will have four shops, measuring around 100-150 sq.ft of space each. In other words, the complex will have a total of 36 shops, meant only for the narikuravars. Shops will have adequate racks and storage facilities.
A R.O water plant will be set up on the premises to provide uninterrupted purified drinking water. Four separate toilets for men and women are being built. Ramps and separate toilets for persons with disability also form part of basic amenities at the new facility. Rooftop solar panels will be installed for power supply as part of energy conservation measures. CCTV cameras will be set up for better surveillance.
Initially, the Self Help Groups (SHGs) will run the facility before narikuravars would be given charge to run the facility. Shops will be allotted on first-cum-first-serve basis to the beneficiaries. Once successful, DRDA officials said, similar complexes will be set up in Polur and Vandavasi towns that have a sizable population of narikuravars.
