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NATIONAL TAMIL NADU

MADURAI, November 2, 2015

Updated: November 2, 2015 08:48 IST

Is Madurai still the Athens of the East?

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S. ANNAMALAI
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N. Ramalingam. Photo: G. Moorthy

N. Ramalingam, from the The Indian Institute of Architects, comes out with
suggestions to make Madurai a likable, livable and lovable city.
The Smart Cities Mission may well provide the defining moment for Madurai. Urban planners
look at it as an opportunity to restore the glory of the city. Vice-chairman of Tamil Nadu
Chapter of The Indian Institute of Architects N. Ramalingam comes out with suggestions to
make Madurai a likable, livable and lovable city.
We all refer to Madurai as the Athens of the East without understanding its significance, says
Mr. Ramalingam. Athens had the Greek pantheon located at an elevated plane which could be
seen from anywhere in the city. Similarly, Madurai had the lofty towers of Meenakshi
Sundareswarar Temple till concrete structures hid their view. Now, about a majority of buildings
have violated the heritage rule of nine metres in height. The temple towers can be made visible
by cracking down on all structures that are over nine metres tall.
Another distinct feature of Greek and Roman cities was the provision of pedestrian walkways and
lanes for single vehicle and two vehicles. The two-lane roads were mostly located on the outskirts.
The original structure of Madurai gives preference only for pedestrians.
Mr. Ramalingam insists that free flow of traffic on city roads should be brought down. Vehicles
can be re-routed clockwise and anti-clockwise on important roads and streets so that they can

reach the adjoining areas through the multiple connecting streets. The burden of parking of
vehicles is of recent origin. The challenges posed by development of business and commerce to
the infrastructure can be met by Madurai Corporation by operating mechanised multi-level
parking lots at select places.
People should be able to reach a place after parking their vehicles within 10 minutes, he says. For
those who cannot walk, battery cars and decorated jutkas or rickshaws should be provided.
Gobbling up of urban open space by buildings is his major concern. Loss of valuable open space
alienates the resident from the city, he says. We need open spaces as public hangouts in
different scales at different levels. Absence of open space has created an urban illness, he says.
We need to adopt a blue-green approach, taking care of both environment and water sources,
towards urban regeneration. One such initiative will be development of the five-km-long
riverbanks as riverfront.