The Tamil Nadu government has granted in-principle approval for a new Assembly and Secretariat complex at Foreshore Estate in Chennai, directing the Public Works Department (PWD) to submit a detailed project report and cost estimates within three months.
The proposed complex will be built on 25.55 acres and will have an approximate built-up area of 20 lakh square feet, according to an order issued by the public department on Monday. The facility is planned to house both the legislative Assembly and the Secretariat and will include what the government described as modern amenities.
“The government directs the Public Works Department to submit the detailed project report along with the estimates within three months and to constitute the committees,” the order said.
The government has directed the PWD to constitute three committees for the project. One committee will invite expressions of interest and select an architectural consultancy firm. A second will finalise the preliminary building drawings and designs, while a third will approve the final drawings and designs.
The approval followed enter-upon permissions from agencies including the Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) and the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC). The proposed site consists of land parcels held by the TNHB, the GCC and the revenue department.
The TNHB has granted permission to the public department for land measuring 21.37 acres, 0.39 acres and 1.13 acres across Survey Nos. 4593/1, 4593/29, 4593/33, 4592 and 7588/2. The GCC has issued a no-objection certificate for the use of 0.93 acres in Survey No. 4593/2. A further 1.73 acres will come from the revenue department across Survey Nos. 4592/1, 4592/85 and 4593/2.
The decision was taken four days after Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay announced plans to relocate the Secretariat from Fort St George. The government order was issued with the concurrence of the finance department.
The proposed complex is planned opposite the chief minister’s residence at Foreshore Estate. The government is expected to begin construction early next year, although the immediate formal milestone is the preparation of the detailed project report and cost estimates by the PWD.
The move follows the earlier construction of an Assembly and Secretariat complex at Omandurar Government Estate by the M Karunanidhi-led DMK government. That project was completed within two years of work commencing in 2008. The new Foreshore Estate proposal will proceed through the appointment of an architectural consultant, preparation of preliminary designs and approval of final drawings before construction begins.
