CPI Urges Tamil Nadu to Scrap Pattinapakkam Secretariat Plan, Citing Fisherfolk and Ecology

The Communist Party of India has asked the Tamil Nadu government to abandon its proposal to build a new Secretariat at Pattinapakkam, also known as Foreshore Estate, in Chennai. In a statement issued on Thursday, CPI State secretary M. Veerapandian said the plan raises serious questions over the rights of fishing communities, the marine environment, climate risk, public access to the beach and the security of government administration.

Mr. Veerapandian noted that nine fisher hamlets sit around the proposed site, among them Srinivasapuram, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, Bhavani Kuppam, Selvarajapuram, Duming Kuppam, Notchi Nagar and Notchi Kuppam. These residents, he said, rely on the sea not only for shelter but for their livelihood, fishing, the movement of boats, the unloading of catch, the drying of nets and fish, and storage.

According to the CPI leader, whose party extends outside support to the ruling government, a large administrative complex with roads, parking and security infrastructure would strain an already crowded stretch of seashore. He estimated that around 1,500 families would be forced to relocate, putting their livelihoods at risk.

Mr. Veerapandian argued that a Secretariat-Assembly complex, with its heavy security, VIP vehicle movement and police deployment, would turn the area into a restricted zone shaped largely by administrative and security needs.

He also flagged environmental concerns, saying it would be unwise to build such a complex at a time of global climate emergency, when Chennai's coastline is already exposed to storms, floods, high tides and rising sea levels. He urged the government to choose a safer location.

The proposed site, he added, is a nesting ground for Olive Ridley turtles, and labelling the project a green complex would not by itself make it environmentally safe.