PMK chief opposes Pattinapakkam site for new Secretariat

Chennai: PMK President Anbumani Ramadoss on Wednesday urged the Tamil Nadu government to abandon plans to build a new Secretariat complex at Pattinapakkam in the state capital.

Instead, he demanded the creation of an integrated administrative city spanning 500 to 1,000 acres outside the state capital to meet governance needs for the next century.

Reacting to media reports suggesting that the proposed Rs 1,200 crore, 20-lakh square feet Secretariat and Legislative Assembly complex announced by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay would come up on a 26.36-acre parcel of land in Pattinapakkam, Anbumani, in a statement, termed the move “shortsighted.”

“While the need for a modern Secretariat in Tamil Nadu is beyond dispute, establishing it at Pattinapakkam will cause more harm than good,” PMK leader said. He cited severe traffic congestion along Santhome High Road and Greenways Road, which are already heavily strained despite the construction of a loop road. Adding a massive government complex near densely populated hubs, major schools, and the Santhome Church would choke traffic in the area, he warned. The former union minister further pointed out that 26.36 acres would be grossly inadequate once mandatory FSI compliance, green space allocation, fire stations, emergency medical units, parking facilities, and public transit links are accounted for.

“Building it on a restricted plot will inevitably replicate the current space constraints within a few years,” he noted. Highlighting Vijay’s stated vision that the new complex should serve the state’s needs for the next 100 years, the PMK chief argued that global and historical precedents favor relocating administrative hubs to dedicated greenfield locations. Anbumani urged the government to acquire at least 500 to 1,000 acres outside Chennai to build a self-contained administrative city. The proposed township, he suggested, should house the Secretariat, Legislative Assembly, departmental headquarters, residences for the Chief Minister, Ministers, and civil servants, as well as Metro connectivity, helipads, schools, colleges, sports arenas, and commercial complexes.

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