Nandambakkam

Nandambakkam நந்தம்பாக்கம்
Neighbourhood
Madras War Cemetery in Nandambakkam.
Nandambakkam
Coordinates: 13°01′00″N 80°11′23″E / 13.01660°N 80.18985°ECoordinates: 13°01′00″N 80°11′23″E / 13.01660°N 80.18985°E
Country	India
State	Tamil Nadu
District	Kancheepuram
Metro	Chennai
Elevation	21 m (69 ft)
Population (2001)
• Total	9,093
Languages
• Official	Tamil
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)

Nandambakkam is a Neighbourhood of Chennai and a town in the Tambaram taluk of Kanchipuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is renowned for the Chennai Trade Centre and the Surgical Instruments Factory. In 2011 Nandambakkam has included in Chennai city by the government of Tamil Nadu.

Geography

Nandambakkam is situated at a distance of 13 kilometres south-west of Chennai on the Mount-Poonamallee Road. It is bound by Alandur and St Thomas Mount to the east and Manapakkam to the west. It is bound by Ramapuram to the north and north-west and Pallavaram to the south. The township extends from the Madras War Cemetery on the east to the banks of the Adyar River on the west.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,^[1] Nandambakkam had a population of 9093. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Nandambakkam has an average literacy rate of 81%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 85%, and female literacy is 77%. In Nandambakkam, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.

History

The village of Nandambakkam has been in existence as a part of the then Chingleput district at least since India's independence in 1947. In 1948, a proposal was floated to settle tappers in Nandambakkam and imparting training in hand weaving to them.^[2] The shrine of St Thomas Mount located nearby contains relics that are over two millennia old.

The growth of Nandambakkam dates from the post-independence era. In 1952, the Madras War Cemetery was constructed on the eastern fringes of Nandambakkam.^[3] During the 1950s and early 1960s, a number of social welfare schemes were launched here. During the Chief Ministership of K. Kamaraj, proposals were made for establishing a surgical instruments factory at Nandambakkam with Russian collaboration.^[4][5] This project undertaken by the Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited culminated in the inauguration of the factory constructed at the cost of Rs. 52.5 million and expected to manufacture 2.5 million pieces of surgical instruments^[6] on September 1, 1965.^[7] The surgical instrumentsplant, was later amed IDPL, and now the production of surgical instruments was totally stopped in 1994, and a major portion the factory has been closed '

India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO)'s first fair infrastructure outside Delhi, the Chennai Trade Centre was inaugurated at Nandambakkam in January 2001.^[8] Spread over an area of 25 acres (100,000 m²), the Chennai Trade Centre, a joint venture of ITPO and Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), was designed to conduct trade fairs in the city.^[8]

The area is one of the 163 notified areas (megalithic sites) in the state of Tamil Nadu.^[9]

References

1. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
2. The Madras Journal of Co-operation, Volumes 40-41. 1948. p. 490.
3. "Are all memorials really throbbing with life?". The Hindu. July 17, 2007.
4. Madras labour gazette, Volume 4. Commissioner of Labour & Director of Employment. 1962. p. 964.
5. Southern economist, Volume 5. Mrs. Susheela Subrahmanya. 1966. p. 39.
6. G. R. Rao (1967). Progressive Madras State: a saga of integrated development. Hindusthan Chamber of Commerce. p. 95.
7. Research and industry, Volume 10. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. 1965. p. 380.
8. "Chennai Trade Centre". India Trade Promotion Organisation.
9. Madhavan, D. (20 December 2012). "National Institute of Siddha modifies expansion plan". The Hindu (Chennai: The Hindu). Retrieved 23 Dec 2012.