GUDALUR: The Mayor of Surrey Heath in the United Kingdom, Louise Ashbery, along with members of the mayoral team, paid tribute to a statue of Colonel John Pennycuick, the architect behind the Mullaiperiyar dam, providing a lifeline to 5 districts in Tamil Nadu, marking the British engineer’s birth anniversary.

The tribute was held at a private grape orchard along the Gudalur–Cumbum National Highway, in Theni district, on Friday, where a model of the Mullaiperiyar dam has been installed in front of the Pennycuick statue.

Farmers and tourists also took part in the event, garlanding the statue and paying respects.

Deputy Mayor Cliff Bennett and councillors Sharon Ann Billing, Nicola Coles, Matthew Sleep and Alan Ashbery were part of the delegation.

Five District Farmers’ Association president SR Thevar, Santhana Beeroli of Uthamapalayam a documentary filmmaker who identified Pennycuick’s grave in London and members of farmers’ associations were present. The orchard owner honoured the visiting UK mayoral team by presenting shawls.