If all go as proposed, Coimbatore will get an integrated museum complex on public-private partnership mode.
Ravi Sam, chairman for CSR Panel, Confederation of Indian Industry, Southern Region, told The Hindu the plan is to house the two museums - ASI and State - under one roof, have a library, art shop, and lecture hall. “We need to have a display of all items related to Kongu region, how Coimbatore came up, trade ties, and development till now.”
There are several items with the State museum that are not exhibited now for want of space.
“When we took up the issue with Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami recently, he assured to provide the required space on Tiruchi Road,” he said. While the land and exhibits will be from the Government, private players will take care of lighting, security, facilities, and renovation of the building. When the Government hands over the building to the Museum Department, a trust will be formed with officials and private players. While the government will own the building and the exhibited items, the trust will maintain it.
“We will prepare a detailed project report after getting the building,” he said. The State museum has 700 displays now and 500 more in reserve. These are mostly coins and stamps. “We are taking up conservation of items gradually. Now, we have conserved wood carvings from Avinashi temple,” an official of the museum said. It gets over 2,000 visitors every month and if moved to a larger area, it will attract more visitors.