Auditorium in the name of Subbarayan to be constructed in Namakkal

An auditorium in the name of former Chief Minister of Madras Presidency P. Subbarayan will come up in Namakkal soon, as the State Government gave its consent to District Collector Shreya P. Singh to transfer 0.33 hectares of land to the Tamil Development and Information Department for constructing the building.

Subbarayan was born in Pokkampalayam near Tiruchengode in Namakkal district (earlier, it was in Salem district) in 1889. He served as Chief Minister of Madras Presidency from 1926–1930 and also served as Union Minister and also as Governor of Maharashtra. He died in 1962. During the AIADMK regime in February 2021, his portrait was unveiled in the Tamil Nadu State Assembly Hall.

After the DMK came to power, Minister of Information and Publicity M.P. Swaminathan announced in the Assembly on September 6, 2021, that an auditorium in the name of Subbarayan will be constructed in Namakkal to honour his service to the people of Tamil Nadu, the Tamil language, and social justice.

Following the announcement, revenue officials began process for identifying land for the auditorium. They identified 0.33 hectares of land (33,520 sq. ft.) between the Puduchatram Union panchayat office and the primary health centre on the Salem- Namakkal national highway. The guideline value of the land is ₹35.52 lakh.

Based on the proposal sent to the government, it issued an order on October 21, 2022, giving consent to the District Collector to transfer the land to the Tamil Development and Information Department free of cost.

“Before the first week of November, the land would be transferred to the Tamil Development and Information Department. The government has allocated ₹2.50 crore for the auditorium. The Public Works Department is preparing the estimate for the auditorium, and if additional funds are needed, the government would sanction”, Tamil Development Department officials said.

The auditorium would not be like a memorial. It will be used as a multi-purpose hall, with a statue of Subbarayan at the entrance. Soon, the Chief Minister will lay the foundation stone and the auditorium will be constructed within 12 to 15 months, officials said.