The DMK has filed a petition in the Madras High Court to quash the Tamil Nadu government’s September 8 order giving in-principle approval for a new Secretariat complex. The Rs 1,200-crore project is proposed on 25.55 acres at Foreshore Estate in Chennai’s Pattinapakkam and would have a built-up area of roughly 20 lakh square feet.
The petition argues that the site is in Coastal Regulation Zone-II and that the project lacks required environmental clearances, traffic impact studies, alternative site examinations, and reports from the environment, fisheries, and traffic departments as well as the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority. It also claims the project threatens Olive Ridley turtle nesting grounds and would worsen traffic at the congested Foreshore Estate junction, affecting schoolchildren.
According to the plea, the project would affect about 1,500 fishing families across nine coastal villages and thousands of residents in nearby tenements. The legal challenge escalates opposition to the plan from fishermen’s groups and opposition parties, with the DMK noting the land was previously subject to High Court undertakings to rehouse evicted residents.