The Tamil Nadu government's proposal for a new Secretariat-Assembly complex at Pattinapakkam here has triggered a backlash from local fishing communities, along with criticism from political parties.
Fisherfolk across 12 hamlets have announced mass protests over the Rs 1,200 crore project if the government decides to go ahead with it.
Residents of the coastal villages, along with environmentalists and political party leaders, are demanding an immediate halt to the project, citing its potential impact on livelihoods, local infrastructure and coastal ecology.
For those in the Pattinapakkam and Marina Loop Road areas, the proposed 26-acre complex represents a direct threat to their survival. More than 1,500 fishing families rely on these ancestral lands to anchor boats, mend nets, dry fish and run daily markets.
"We have legal documents and ancestral rights to this land," stated a local community representative.
"Construction will block our access to the sea. When high-level administrative hubs are built, our presence gets labeled as unhygienic or a nuisance. We fear displacement to distant suburbs like Kannagi Nagar, which will destroy our social and economic fabric," the residents said.
They pointed to broken past promises, noting that parts of the land were originally designated for fishermen relocated in 1958, commitments that remain unfulfilled.
Frustration has mounted over the lack of representation, with locals reporting that elected representatives have ignored their grievances despite initial hunger strikes and demonstrations.
Political parties rally behind fisherfolk
The backlash has united multiple political parties, with all of them urging Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to abandon the site in favour of an alternative location. Key ally Congress expressed hope that Vijay would resolve the crisis without "harm" to local communities.
Opposing the project at the present site, CPI(M) state secretary P Shanmugam accused the state government of hurriedly issuing a Government Order for the construction of the new Secretariat.
"The construction of a new Secretariat and Assembly complex should not be undertaken in haste. The fishermen’s villages surrounding the site currently selected at Pattinapakkam have been opposing the proposal. The government should listen to their concerns," he said.
Speaking to reporters here on Friday, the Marxist leader suggested that the government convene an all-party meeting to reach a consensus on the subject.
"A suitable location should be selected after reaching a consensus among all stakeholders. Until then, no work should be undertaken at the site that has currently been selected," he said.
CPI state secretary M Veerapandian has already demanded the project's immediate withdrawal, highlighting that the project site serves as a fragile nesting ground for Olive Ridley turtles and is highly vulnerable to sea surges, cyclones and flooding.
TNCC chief Manickam Tagore emphasised that a new Secretariat was an essential requirement but hoped that the government would analyse the location to ensure the "least displacement" and that "the least amount of harm comes to the people".
Speaking to reporters in Ramanathapuram on Friday, Tagore said he believed that the current government will initiate the work in a way that does not negatively impact the public.
Similarly, VCK leader and state Social Justice Minister Vanni Arasu emphasised that the project required consensus and should be completed with input from all, including consideration of the concerns of fishing communities.
'Will organise mass demonstrations'
PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss earlier warned of disastrous traffic gridlocks along Santhome Road and Pattinapakkam junction and advocated shifting the location outside Chennai, while AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran criticised the government for bypassing mandatory public consultation, calling the decision a rushed attempt that threatens coastal heritage.
The DMK, AIADMK and BJP also questioned administrative priorities, asking why such a hefty sum should be spent when the existing facility at Fort St George could be put to good use.
Meanwhile, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) representatives from the affected villages are holding joint strategy meetings to oppose the project.
Fishing leaders have warned that unless the government rescinds the site order, they will organise widespread mass demonstrations to safeguard their homes and coastal rights.
Labeling the government move as "not governance but vanity on stolen space", BJP chief spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy said families from Nochikuppam to Srinivasapuram had already lost ground to the Loop Road, diverted traffic, Blue Flag cosmetics and court-backed "encroachment" drives.
"A government that cannot find 25 acres without driving fisherfolk off the Marina has no moral right to talk of a 100-year Secretariat," he said.
He claimed that Santhome High Road, Greenways Road and the Foreshore Estate signal are already choke points. Metro work has squeezed the junction. The Loop Road was built because the old roads had failed, and there were frequent traffic jam in the area, he argued.
"Hear the fishing villages before a single fence goes up. Care about the children and the parents who are likely to get affected. Find land that does not steal the sea from those who live by it. If this government proceeds, it has to own the congestion, the court battles, and the betrayal of Marina’s fisherfolk. The BJP will stand with them," he warned.
(With inputs from PTI)