Vijay to chair meeting on site for new Tamil Nadu Secretariat today

Chennai: Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay will chair a high-level meeting on Tuesday to consider locations for Tamil Nadu’s proposed integrated Legislative Assembly and Secretariat complex, a project intended to ease pressure on the government’s administrative headquarters at Fort St George.

Senior officials from the Public Works, Revenue and Municipal Administration departments and the Greater Chennai Corporation are expected to attend the meeting.

Sites in Pattinapakkam, Guindy and Nandambakkam are reportedly among those being examined, and the deliberations could lead to a decision on the location.

Vijay announced the project in the Assembly last week but did not identify the site.

The proposed complex will have a built-up area of 20 lakh square feet and is estimated to cost Rs 1,200 crore. It is planned as a single administrative campus accommodating the Assembly and state government departments now functioning from different locations.

The government has argued that a new complex has become necessary because Fort St George can no longer be expanded adequately to meet present and future administrative requirements.

Although the historic campus extends over nearly 107 acres, the state government controls only about four acres. Much of the remaining land is under the Defence establishment and the Archaeological Survey of India, restricting new construction and extensive structural changes.

The number of departments, employees and administrative responsibilities has also increased substantially over the past four decades. This has placed pressure on ageing buildings and resulted in several offices being dispersed outside the Secretariat, making coordination more difficult. Bringing departments together is expected to improve administrative efficiency and public access while providing sufficient space for future expansion.

The Rs 1,200-crore estimate covers construction of the proposed 20-lakh-square-foot integrated facility. The campus is expected to incorporate modern fire-safety arrangements, barrier-free access for persons with disabilities, green-building standards, conference halls, public service centres, adequate parking, and improved facilities for employees.

The plan would also allow Fort St George, one of Chennai’s most important heritage precincts, to be conserved without the pressure of repeated alterations to accommodate a growing government establishment. The historic buildings are expected to be preserved for future generations after the Assembly and Secretariat move. Once a site is finalised, the government is expected to proceed with detailed planning, design and implementation schedules for the new seat of administration.

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