Criticisms against the pen monument include those directed at its ₹80-crore construction cost and the environmental impacts it would have.
Published Jul 25, 2022 | 3:15 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 29, 2022 | 1:07 PM
Model of the memorial being constructed to pay tribute to late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi at Chennai's Marina brach. (mkstalin/Twitter)
The DMK-led Tamil Nadu government’s proposal to build a giant “pen monument” above the sea off Marina Beach in Chennai has come under criticism from Opposition parties and activists because of its alleged “lavish” nature and environmental concerns.
The monument would be erected in the sea as a tribute to the contributions of late Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi towards Tamil literature. The estimated cost of the project is ₹81 crore.
The plan to build the pen monument comes at a time when construction of a grand memorial for Karunanidhi — spread over 2.21 acres and with an outlay of ₹39 crore — is already underway on the beach.
According to reports, the pen monument would have a height of 42 m, a few feet taller than the statue of iconic Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar in the Kanniyakumari district.
The monument would be situated around 360 m from the shore, for which visitors will have to use a 650-m-long lattice bridge — 290 m over land and 360 m above the sea, and with proposed glass flooring — from the Karunanidhi memorial, which is currently under construction.
As far as the current proposal is concerned, the planned site of the monument reportedly falls under areas designated Coastal Regulatory Zones (CRZs) IA, II, and IVA.
As per the norms, construction of memorials or monuments would generally be discouraged in CRZ-IV areas, but allowed only in “exceptional cases” with adequate environmental safeguards.
The Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority resolved to recommend the proposal for the pen monument to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change as per provisions of the CRZ notification of 2011 after obtaining an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), an Environmental Management Plan (EMP), a scrutiny fee, and other requisites.
Activists in the state have expressed concerns about the environmental impact of the project.
Poovulagin Nanbargal (Friends of the Earth), an organisation that works in the field of environment, has opposed the project claiming that the Marina Beach coastline is already reeling under environmental issues due to factors like the expansion of harbours and ports, construction activity, and climate change.
The environmental group, quoting the report National Assessment of Shoreline Changes along Indian Coast, published by the Central Department of Geosciences, said more sand was accumulating on the beach in Chennai due to construction activities close to the coastline.
It also claimed that the pen monument did not qualify as an “exceptional case” to be built in a CRZ-IV zone.
“When there is already space in the Karunanidhi memorial for the pen monument, why build it in the sea when it will impact the marine ecosystem? It cannot be considered an exceptional case,” said Poovulagin Nanbargal in a statement.
The group instead urged the DMK government to construct libraries to honour the Karunanidhi contributions to Tamil literature.
Noted Tamil Nadu-based environmental activist Nityanand Jayaraman told South First that the pen-monument proposal was consistent with the lack of environmental ethics shown by successive state governments.
Highlighting how several memorials — those of former chief ministers CN Annadurai, MG Ramachandran, J Jayalalithaa, and M Karunanidhi — have come up on Marina Beach, Jayaraman claimed CRZ norms and other environmental laws applied only to the poor, whereas political parties and the rich always found some way or the other to bypass them.
He also questioned the priorities of the Tamil Nadu government in addressing major environmental problems faced by the state.
“The budget for the Tamil Nadu Wetlands mission is ₹100 crore. The budget for the pen monument is around ₹80 crore. Do I want wetlands or a pen monument?” he asked.
AIADMK official spokesperson Kovai Sathyan told South First that the project would not be received well by the people of the state because of its timing.
“At a time when the masses are made to pay much more for their daily expenses due to the rising prices of essential commodities and fuel, spending taxpayers’ money on a pen monument will definitely not be received well by the people. This is just extravagance in the name of glorifying a leader,” he said.
Sathyan also pointed out that in addition to the memorial for Karunanidhi which is under construction on the beach, the DMK government inaugurated a 16-ft bronze statue of his at the Omundurar Estate in Chennai on 28 May.
Tamil Nadu BJP vice-president Narayan Tirupathi agreed that the government should avoid such expenditure.
“As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, they are increasing property taxes, electricity tariff and not slashing the taxes on fuel citing revenue losses. Instead of concentrating on these issues, why incur additional expenditure?” he asked while speaking to South First.
Anti-corruption NGO Arappor Iyakkam’s convenor Jayaram Venkatesan concurred, and also questioned the need for spending taxpayers’ money on the monument when several key government schemes have been suffering due to lack of funds.
“Several important schemes and poll promises of the DMK have been put on hold by the government citing severe financial stress. So, what is the need to waste taxpayers’ money on such a monument? Let the DMK install the pen monument using party funds at its party office,” he said.
Responding to the criticisms, Tamil Nadu Public Works Department Minister EV Velu said it was not a new proposal, and that it was planned along with the construction of the Karunanidhi memorial on Marina Beach.
Interestingly, the model of Karunanidhi’s under-construction memorial shared by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin recently showed a giant pen structure inside the memorial premises and not in the sea.
எழுத்தால் கலையுலகை ஆண்டு – கொண்ட கொள்கையால் அரசியல் வானில் ஒளிர்ந்த சூரியன் ‘தமிழினத் தலைவர்’ கலைஞர் நினைவிடத்தின் மாதிரித் தோற்றம்! pic.twitter.com/XCLNOXmdFY
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) August 24, 2021
Justifying the proposal for the pen monument, Velu added that it was a sign of gratitude by the people of Tamil Nadu for Karunanidhi.
“Kalaignar Karunanidhi is the only chief minister who passed several Government Orders for the people. So, whatever we do for him, it is nothing but thanksgiving,” he said.
“Those who are criticising the pen monument proposal on WhatsApp and other social media platforms are betraying Karunanidhi,” the minister added.
