Naam Tamilar Katchi coordinator Seeman has urged the Tamil Nadu government to abandon the decision to build a new Secretariat on Saturday (Sept. 12).
The newly formed TVK government in Tamil Nadu recently announced that a new Secretariat would be built in Chennai at a cost of Rs. 1,200 crore. Various political leaders have been expressing both support for and opposition to this announcement.
Regarding this, Seeman posted on his X page:
The Tamil Nadu government must abandon the ‘Tughlaq Darbar’ decision to set up a new Secretariat in Pattinapakkam, which is already severely congested and plagued by traffic snarls!
The Tamil Nadu government’s issuance of a government order stating that the new Secretariat announced by Chief Minister Vijay under Rule 110 in the Legislative Assembly will be set up in Chennai’s Pattinapakkam is shocking. The TTVK government’s decision to establish the Tamil Nadu government’s new Secretariat in Pattinapakkam, in a way that would affect the livelihoods of nine fishing villages, is strongly condemnable.
The Tamil Nadu government’s treasury is empty, the government has a debt of 10 lakh crore rupees, and it is in a position where it has to borrow one and a half lakh crore rupees every year. The TVK government, which has been repeatedly saying that it has been unable to fulfill the promises it made, is in such a severe financial crisis that it has to borrow just to pay interest. In such a situation, what is the need to spend 1,200 crore rupees and rush to build a new Secretariat in haste?
If the new Secretariat is being set up because the current Secretariat functioning at Fort St. George is facing severe space constraints and traffic congestion, then why is there a need to establish a new Secretariat in Pattinapakkam, where there is even greater space constraint and traffic congestion? Is it for the needs of the people? Or for the Chief Minister’s personal needs?
Having accepted the opposition of the people of Parandur village and abandoned the new airport, why did you not take into account the opposition of the people of the 9 fishing villages in Pattinapakkam? Is your personal convenience more important than the livelihoods of the people of the 9 fishing villages? Is this your concern for the welfare of the fishing community, Chief Minister Vijay? With places of worship including the world-famous Santhome Church, more than ten schools, colleges, business establishments, industrial centers, and the business hubs of the fishing community, the narrow roads of Pattinapakkam are used by tens of thousands of people at the same time every day, causing severe traffic congestion in the area even now. In such a situation, if the new Secretariat is also established there, the Pattinapakkam area itself will be severely strained.
Every day, there is also the distressing practice of halting traffic for several hours for the arrival of ministers and senior government officials. As a result, the general public, especially schoolchildren, will be severely affected. Moreover, how can all the facilities for offices of various government departments, the legislature, accommodation for ministers and members of the legislative assembly, waiting areas for the public, parking spaces, drinking water, and toilets be accommodated within such a small area? Even if they are forcibly crammed in, how can this limited space be sufficient for expansion for the next 100 years, as Chief Minister Vijay announced in the Legislative Assembly?
Is this the visionary thinking of the TVK government? Above all, the Pattinapakkam area of Chennai is one of the dangerous areas hit by the tsunami in 2004. There is also a possibility that it could be struck by a tsunami in the future. Moreover, due to global warming, glaciers are melting and sea levels are continuously rising; in the period from 2040 to 2070, sea level is expected to rise by 30 cm, and Chennai’s coastal stretch will go 1.6 km below sea level (approximately 71 sq. km of land area), becoming a permanently flood-prone area. Since Pattinapakkam also falls within the area mentioned in the “Chennai Action Plan Report for Climate Change,” how can Pattinapakkam be the right choice to establish the Secretariat with a vision for the next 100 years?
It is shameful that Chief Minister Vijay, who met everyone by inviting them to his home even before becoming Chief Minister, is now trying to stage a Tughlaq darbar by setting up the Secretariat near his own house and telling government employees, ministers, Members of the Legislative Assembly, and the general public alike to come there. Therefore, for the personal benefit of Chief Minister Vijay, I urge on behalf of the Naam Tamilar Katchi that the Tamil Nadu government immediately abandon the decision to waste the people’s tax money and establish a new Secretariat in Pattinapakkam, which suffers from severe space constraints, traffic congestion, and the risk of a tsunami.
Otherwise, I would like to state that the Naam Tamilar Katchi will mobilize the 9 fishing villages of Pattinapakkam, which will be affected, and lead a massive protest. To the people of the 9 fishing villages in Pattinapakkam, I say: do not fear anything. We said we would not allow the Salem eight-lane highway to be built by destroying farmlands. It was not built. We said we would not allow an airport to be built in Parandur by destroying farmlands. It could not be built. We said we would not allow the Pen statue to be placed in the sea in a way that would harm the environment. It could not be placed. Likewise, we will never allow the Secretariat to be established in Pattinapakkam in a way that would affect the livelihoods of the people of the 9 fishing villages. With the support of the people, we will firmly stop it. Pattinapakkam fishing families, stay full of confidence! Seeman said.
The Tamil Nadu government must abandon this ‘Tughlaq Darbar’ decision to set up the new Secretariat in Pattinapakkam, which is already severely congested and plagued by traffic jams!@CMOTamilnadu @TVKVijayHQ
— Senthamizhan Seeman (@Seeman4TN) September 12, 2026
The new announcement made by the Honorable Chief Minister Vijay under Rule 110 in the Assembly… pic.twitter.com/K7eNpDAeb3