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The Tamil Nadu government’s in-principle approval for a new Secretariat and Legislative Assembly complex at Foreshore Estate in Chennai has drawn opposition over its proposed coastal location.
The Rs 1,200-crore project will come up on 25.55 acres in Mylapore town, with most of the land belonging to the Tamil Nadu Housing Board. The site is at Pattinapakkam, close to Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s residence.
The government order issued on September 8 said three committees have been formed to expedite the project. One will select an architectural consultant, while the other two will finalise the preliminary and final building designs. The Public Works Department has been asked to submit a detailed project report and estimates within three months.
Vijay had announced the proposal in the Assembly on September 3, saying that the new 20 lakh sq foot complex would house the Legislative Assembly, offices of the Chief Minister and Ministers, and various government departments. It is proposed to have modern facilities including parking, conference halls, public service centres, and fire-safety and accessibility infrastructure.
The government has cited space constraints at Fort St George, where the Secretariat and Assembly currently function. Vijay said only about four acres of the 107-acre campus is under the state government’s control, with the rest under the Defence Ministry and the Archaeological Survey of India.
The choice of Pattinapakkam, however, has prompted objections from political leaders and fishing communities.
PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss has urged the government to abandon the proposal and instead establish an integrated administrative city on 500 to 1,000 acres outside Chennai. He said the area already faces severe traffic pressure, with Santhome Church, schools and other high-footfall institutions nearby.
Anbumani also questioned whether the proposed site would be large enough to accommodate the complex along with mandatory green spaces, parking, emergency facilities and public transport infrastructure. He argued that a larger administrative township would better serve the state’s needs over the next 100 years.
DMK Rajya Sabha MP P Wilson questioned the project’s impact on fishermen and existing infrastructure. He also asked whether selecting the site amounted to a breach of an undertaking given before the Madras High Court regarding the redevelopment and rehousing of government employees at Foreshore Estate.
Wilson further raised concerns about the site’s coastal regulation status, its low FSI potential and whether a complex covering around 20 lakh sq feet could be accommodated on the area’s narrow roads without affecting fishermen’s spaces.
Fishermen living along the Marina Loop Road, from Nochikuppam to Srinivasapuram, have also opposed the project. They said the proposed development could restrict access to the coast, which they use for fishing, boat movement, storing and repairing boats and nets, drying fish and selling their catch.
Community representatives said more than 1,500 fishing families could be affected. They also said that the security arrangements around the Secretariat and Assembly could further restrict their movement and access to the shoreline.
AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran has called on the government to identify an alternative site, citing the potential impact on fishermen’s livelihoods. He also questioned the absence of a public hearing before the location was selected.
The Communist Party of India’s (CPI) Tamil Nadu unit has demanded that the project be withdrawn, citing the repercussions on fishing communities, coastal ecology, public access to the shoreline and climate-related risks. The party also added that the proposed site is vulnerable to cyclones, flooding, coastal erosion, sea surges and rising sea levels.
The CPI also pointed to environmental documents identifying the stretch as ecologically sensitive and as a nesting area for Olive Ridley turtles. It said the government should consider a safer and environmentally and socially appropriate alternative site instead.
