The state has submitted the project report to INS Adyar for an NOC, which is pending before the Eastern Naval Command.
Published May 16, 2023 | 3:57 PM ⚊ Updated May 16, 2023 | 3:57 PM
AIADMK says that the monument will affect the livelihood of traditional fishing community and harm the coastal ecosystem. (Creative Commons)
The AIADMK has challenged in the Supreme Court the construction of a Pen Monument on Chennai’s famous Marina Beach.
The planned ₹81-crore monument, in memory of the late chief minister, writer, and DMK president M Karunanidhi, comprises a pen-shaped pedestal, a walkway, a lattice truss bridge, and an underground museum.
In his petition filed before the apex court, former AIADMK minister D Jayakumar argued the monument being constructed would affect the livelihood of traditional fishermen and harm Marina’s ecosystem.
Referring to NCCR (National Centre for Coastal Research) data, the petitioner contended that 33 percent of India’s coastline witnessed sea erosion. between 1990 and 2016. The erosion has been grave on the east coast along the Bay of Bengal, Jayakumar said.
The petition also claimed that Tamil Nadu ranked fourth in the country with 42.7 percent of its coastline under the threat of erosion.
Jayakumar further argued that the coastal ecosystem has been highly threatened by pollution, siltation and erosion, flooding, saltwater intrusion, and storm surges.
He also contended that enough space was available for the state to build the monument on the mainland or the premises of the memorial of the late chief minister.
Stating that the government departments were expedient in clearing the proposed project, the petitioner argued that the Environment Protection Act and Rules were breached.
“It is certainly not an exceptional case. It is certainly not a dire need. It is contrary to the Environment Protection Act and Rules. It is in breach of all notifications by the Environment Ministry. It is ultra vires of Environment Protection Act and Rules and unconstitutional,” Jayakumar contended.
The Supreme Court might take up the petition next week along with the other Public Interest Litigations challenging the memorial.
The ruling DMK government has been pushing for the monument, honouring the rich Tamil literature. Karunanidhi has penned dialogues and screenplays for more than 50 movies, besides writing historical novels, biographies, poems and novels.
In the last week of April, the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change gave the green signal for the pen monument on Marina.
However, the EAC asked the state to get a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the naval base INS Adyar before taking up the construction work.
It also directed the government to set up an expert monitoring committee during the implementation of the project and added its clearance would be subject to the outcome of several PILs filed against the monument.
Public Works Department sources said the state has submitted a project report to INS Adyar. The Eastern Naval Command has not issued the NOC, they said.
The monument’s planned site would cover 8551.13 square metre and it would, reportedly, fall under areas demarked as Coastal Regulatory Zones (CRZs) I-A, II, and IV-A.
According to norms, the construction of memorials or monuments in CRZ-IV should be discouraged but allowed only in “exceptional cases” with adequate environmental safeguards.
