The Tamil Nadu government has identified 21.76 acres at Foreshore Estate, also known as Pattinapakkam, in Chennai for a proposed Rs 1,200 crore Secretariat and Assembly complex, according to a Government Order reported by Deccan Chronicle. The project is intended to provide modern facilities for the state’s administrative and legislative functions.
The land comprises two parcels belonging to the Tamil Nadu Housing Board, which have been earmarked for the proposed complex. The announcement follows the state government’s decision, made public in the Assembly on September 3, to develop a new premises for the Secretariat and Assembly.
Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay had said that once construction of the new complex was completed, the existing Secretariat at Fort St George would be conserved as a heritage structure. The historic building is currently used by the state government and is associated with Chennai’s colonial and administrative history.
Fort St George was built by the East India Company between 1639 and 1644 and is regarded as the first English fortress in India. Several state governments have previously considered moving the Secretariat and Assembly from the complex, citing space constraints and the need for a larger administrative facility.
The first reported attempt was made by then Chief Minister M G Ramachandran in 1983. In 2003, former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa proposed an administrative city near Mahabalipuram. A later plan to convert Queen Mary’s College on the Marina beachfront into a Secretariat faced public opposition. Another proposal to build the complex in Kotturpuram, on the site where the Anna Centenary Library now stands, was also abandoned.
A foundation stone was laid in 2003 for the Kotturpuram proposal, with ministers of the then Jayalalithaa Cabinet attending the ceremony. The plan was subsequently dropped following administrative difficulties. In 2010, former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi began construction of a new Secretariat building at Omandurar Government Estate. After the change in government in 2011, the building was converted into a multi-specialty hospital and medical college.
The latest proposal comes as the state government is also shifting the Chief Minister’s Office and some key departments to the tenth floor of the Namakkal Kavignar building within the existing government premises. The move would reduce the current administrative concentration at Fort St George while the proposed Foreshore Estate complex is planned.
The Government Order identifies the land for the project, while construction details, including the implementation schedule and the process for appointing agencies, were not specified in the information available in the report. The proposed complex is expected to be developed at an estimated cost of Rs 1,200 crore, with further project milestones to follow from the state government.
