Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay Thursday announced plans to build a new integrated complex in Chennai that will house the Legislative Assembly and the Secretariat to ease chronic space constraints at the existing complex.
The proposed complex will be equipped with modern facilities at an estimated cost of Rs 1,200 crore. The Secretariat is expected to span 2 million square feet, with all departments housed in the same building.
Since it came to power in May, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government has been actively exploring shifting the Secretariat from the century-old Fort St. George complex, which has long faced severe space constraints.
The historic site, partly under the Archaeological Survey of India and Defence control, restricts major structural changes or expansion.
Growing administrative needs, daily footfall, cramped departmental offices, inadequate parking and limited visitor amenities have prompted calls for a bigger and modern Assembly and Secretariat complex.
The current complex houses more than 30 departments, and it has been renovated several times, with officials repeatedly flagging chronic space shortages, outdated infrastructure, operations spread across multiple buildings, and growing difficulties in housing additional staff and supporting modern digital systems.
Revenue and Public Works Department officials are conducting preliminary inspections of several sites, including soil and rock tests to assess their suitability for the new integrated complex.
Environmental and legal factors were reviewed in line with Madras High Court directions against construction on waterbodies or disruption of natural watercourses. A preliminary report has been submitted to the chief minister.
Once the chief minister approves it and makes the official announcement, the PWD will prepare a detailed project report (DPR).
Seat of power
Fort St. George was the centre of governance through the British period and the early decades after Independence.
However, in the early 2000s, the AIADMK government led by J. Jayalalithaa explored shifting operations to sites such as Queen Mary’s College or Sholinganallur, citing the need for contemporary facilities, but the proposals encountered strong protests and delays and ultimately did not materialise.
Between 2006 and 2011, the DMK government under M. Karunanidhi constructed a new Assembly-Secretariat complex at the Omandurar Government Estate on Anna Salai.
Inaugurated in 2010 by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the project cost approximately Rs 450 crore and was promoted as a modern, energy-efficient green building intended to represent administrative progress.
However, when the AIADMK returned to power in 2011 under Jayalalithaa, the new complex was promptly abandoned.
The government shifted operations back to Fort St. George, and the Omandurar building was converted into the Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital, which was inaugurated around 2014.
Sources from the government indicate that four sites in Chennai are under consideration, including Pattinapakkam, Nandambakkam, Koyambedu, and the Guindy Highways Department office.
Availability of land, accessibility for employees and the public, existing infrastructure, parking potential, connectivity, and scope for a modern integrated campus are being explored to choose a site.
In Guindy, the Highways Department office has around 35 acres of government land that offers a substantial contiguous parcel adequate for offices, Assembly facilities, employees, visitors and parking. It is located in a well-connected southern Chennai area near institutional and transport hubs.
The Pattinapakkam area is a coastal location that has seen active preliminary surveys and it is relatively nearer to the chief minister’s residence, which could ease daily movement and reduce convoy-related traffic disruption in the core city.
The land availability exceeds 20 acres in reported parcels, but environmental considerations around the coast and watercourses are being carefully assessed.
On the other hand, in Nandambakkam, a more than 20-acre government land site opposite Fintech City area is being considered.
It benefits from growing infrastructure in western and south-western Chennai as well as connectivity advantages. However, the area is also earmarked for significant commercial and fintech development, raising questions about the potential impact on these plans if the site is prioritised for the Secretariat.
Koyambedu, where the former mofussil bus terminus existed, is also a considered site after the bus terminus was shifted to Kilambakkam, offering a large underutilised public parcel with strong multimodal connectivity by road, metro, and other transport links.
Centrally located in Chennai, it could support efficient access and cost savings by repurposing existing infrastructure. However, planners point to concerns about adding to local congestion.
While no final decision has been taken on the site, officials emphasise that any chosen site must support a modern, digitally enabled complex with sufficient space for the departments, public interface, security, and future expansion while remaining within Chennai.