Karunanidhi memorial at Marina beach: TN govt sanctions Rs 39 cr

The state Public Works Department has been entrusted with getting all the clearances and to ensure that the construction is done in accordance with law.
File photo of Karunanidhi
File photo of Karunanidhi
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The Tamil Nadu government on Monday, November 8 issued an order to set up a memorial for former Chief Minister, late Kalignar Karunanidhi, at Marina beach in Chennai. The memorial, coming up on 2.21 acre land and at an estimated cost of Rs 39 crore, will showcase the former Chief Minister's achievements and thoughts through photographs and visual displays so that future generations are able to learn about his life and achievements. The state Public Works Department has been entrusted with getting all the clearances regarding the CRZ-II criteria and to ensure that the construction of the memorial is done in accordance with all stipulations and legal requirements.

The state government has also directed the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority to provide the memorial construction plan permission to the government. It has also informed the Coastal Management Authority to prepare a report on whether the memorial falls under the CRZ-II.

As per the Environment Protection Act of 1986, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) regulates activities in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) — the land up to 500 metres from the High Tide Line. The zones are classified as CRZ I, II, III, and IV, according to their ecological sensitivity.

The Coastal Management Authority is also directed to advise the government whether the burial site of the late Karunanidhi was within the Anna memorial. The Chennai Collector has been advised to provide the necessary clearances to construct the memorial within the Anna memorial complex.

It was in August this year that the DMK government first made the announcement. At the time, Stalin said that Karunanidhi was a multi-faceted personality who had made a mark in Tamil cinema with his dialogues and was a member of the state Assembly for 60 years. He said there was no leader like Karunanidhi in the past and there will be nobody in the future to attain such heights. To tell the people and the coming generations about Karunanidhi's thinking and achievements, a memorial will be built on 2.21 acres of land in the Anna Memorial complex, he had said.

Karunanidhi died on August 7, 2018.

With IANS inputs

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