NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APR 29
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) has given its approval for the construction of the pen monument, dedicated to late DMK supremo and for former chief minister M Karunanidhi, in the sea next to Kalaignar Memorial in Marine Beach.
The issue was taken up during the meeting conducted on April 17.
The 2.11-acre monument, which includes a pen, pedestal, pedestrian walkway, lattice bridge, and underground museum, needs Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance as it lies in CRZ IV(A), CRZ I(A), and CRZ II areas.
The committee has given its nod stating that the proposal is permissible as per CRZ Notification 2011 and stated that it required CRZ clearance.
However, the EAC has laid down 15 conditions that must be met, including acquiring NOC from INS Adyar as it is 0.81km away from the project site, submitting erosion and accretion monitoring reports to regional offices, and obtaining all necessary clearances from the concerned authorities. The CRZ clearance letter is also subject to the final order of the Court or Tribunal of the project.
The proposed project turned controversial as it was earlier mentioned that the pen statue would be constructed within the Memorial, but plans were made to construct it in the sea and connect it with a pathway, making it into a tourist attraction.
This led to protests from activists and opposition parties, who warned that such a statue in the sea would harm the delicate ecosystem.
During the public hearing, Naam Thamizhar Katchi leader Seeman’s speech led to an uproar as he said that if the pen statue is constructed, his party members will demolish it.
Seeman called the EAC nod against democracy and stated, “Union Government’s EAC giving prompt clearance to State Government’s project, which would harm the environment, only shows this unified anti-people attitude.”
