Namakkal: More than 200 residents of Nallaiyampatty village in Mohanur, submitted a petition to the district collector in Namakkal on Friday, demanding that permission be denied for a private poultry farm which is proposed to come up just 50 feet from the historic Thangavel Swamy temple.Petitioners said the temple attracts thousands of devotees during its biannual festivals, with over 10,000 people participating and receiving free meals. They said that the grand four-day festival held once every seven years, draws nearly 50,000 devotees from surrounding regions. They expressed concerns that the proposed poultry farm would cause foul odour, menace from flies and environmental pollution, disturbing the sanctity of the temple.Temple administrator K Sundararaj said, “This shrine is our family deity. Every year thousands gather here for worship and annadhanam. A poultry farm close to the temple will ruin the atmosphere and affect devotees. We cannot allow this.”Villagers have urged the district administration to take immediate steps to halt the construction of the poultry farm and safeguard the temple environment.
