Chennai, Sept 23:
The DMK has moved the Madras High Court challenging the Tamil Nadu Government’s proposal to construct a new Secretariat and Assembly complex at Pattinapakkam in Chennai.
Former Mylapore DMK MLA Dha Velu has filed a petition seeking to quash the government order granting in-principle approval for the proposed project. He has also sought an interim stay on further proceedings until the court decides the matter.
The petition questions the selection of Pattinapakkam as the proposed site. According to the petitioner, the government order was issued without adequately examining alternative locations or undertaking detailed studies relating to traffic movement, land use, parking, environmental impact and other aspects of the project.
The proposed complex is expected to come up on about 25.55 acres and have nearly 20 lakh square feet of built-up area. The estimated cost of the project has been put at around Rs 1,200 crore.
The petition has also raised concerns over the impact of the project on traffic in the area. The Loop Road, which connects Beach Road and Santhome, is an important route used by local residents, school students and visitors to the beach and fish market. Hospitals in the locality also depend on the road for ambulance movement.
Concerns have also been raised over the proximity of the proposed site to nine fishing villages. The petitioner has pointed to the possible impact on more than 1,500 fisher families whose livelihoods are linked to access to the coast.
The government, however, has maintained that the site selection has not been finalised. It has said that a feasibility study and a detailed project report would have to be prepared before a final decision is taken by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay.
Minister Aadhav Arjuna had said on September 20 that only a government order granting in-principle approval had been issued and that the process had not reached the stage of a final decision on the location.
The DMK’s petition now puts the proposed Secretariat project before the High Court, with the petitioner seeking judicial intervention against further steps until the issues raised in the plea are examined.