CHENNAI: Days after the government accorded in-principle approval for constructing a new R1,200 crore Legislative Assembly-cum-Secretariat complex at Pattinapakkam on a 25.55-acre site, commuters, residents, and environmental activists have raised concerns over potential impact on traffic, fishermen’s livelihoods and the coastal environment by the 20 lakh sq ft structure.
The proposed site is surrounded by at least 10 schools within 1 km radius, besides colleges and religious institutions, commuters said. They said Santhome High Road or Loop Road is nowhere wider than Kamarajar Salai, where the present secretariat is located. If the secretariat comes, the situation will only worsen, preventing free movement of vehicles and fisherfolk into the sea, fisherfolk and residents along Loop Road said.
The site also has limited public transport options in its immediate vicinity. The Mandaveli MRTS station, the nearest, is 2.2 km away via South Canal Bank Road in Mandavelipakkam, while the Mandaveli bus depot is 1.6 km away. Even the upcoming Lighthouse metro station is 2.6 km away.
“Though an elevated corridor has been proposed connecting Lighthouse and Thiru-Vi-Ka Bridge in Adyar, traffic issues will persist as the road leads to many educational institutions, and connects to major southern Chennai areas, where most IT companies are located,” said Thulukanam N (27), an auto driver. He said traffic is particularly heavy between 7 am & 9 am and 3 pm & 7.30 pm.
However, traffic police officials told TNIE that it was too early to speak of traffic issues, as once the DPR is prepared, there could be scope for road widening to accommodate more vehicles. Inter-departmental coordination meetings would be held before decisions are taken on execution, the official said.
Food shop vendors along Loop Road, most of whom are also fisherfolk, fear eviction if the secretariat comes up.
“If the secretariat comes up here, security restrictions will be tightened. Fishermen often have to enter the sea at midnight or around 2 am to go fishing. We fear that such movement could be restricted in the name of security,” K Bharathi of the South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association said.
Environmental group Poovulagin Nanbargal also opposed the project, citing ecological and climate-related risks. It said the site falls under CRZ-II as per the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2011, and questioned the decision to construct the complex in the coastal zone.
Citing the Chennai Climate Action Plan, the group said sea-level rise along the Chennai coast could reach 36.87cm by 2100 even under a low-emission scenario, with inundation extending up to 508.4 m. Under a high-emission scenario, sea-level rise could reach 77.88 cm. The assessment estimated that around 71.6 sq km of Chennai could be submerged by 2100, with inundation potentially extending up to 1.6 km inland from the coast.
The group said the site, located within 500 m of the coast, should not be considered for the complex given these projections.