Kalaignar pen monument in Bay of Bengal
Context :
The Tamil Nadu government’s plan to build the Muthamizh Arignar Dr Kalaignar pen monument in the Bay of Bengal, off the Marina beach in Chennai, has been approved by the Union Ministry of Environment (CRZ), but with 15 restrictions.
Muthuvel Karunanidhi
- Muthuvel Karunanidhi, born in 1924 in Thirukkuvalai, Tamil Nadu, India, was an atheist and rationalist who participated in social movements and literature.
- He founded the Tamil Nadu Tamil Manavar Mandram and started a newspaper called Murasoli, later becoming the official publication of the DMK party.
- Karunanidhi contributed significantly to Tamil literature, writing screenplays, historical novels, biographies, poems, and novels. He was influenced by the rationalist and egalitarian ideology of Periyar and DMK founder C.N. Annadurai.
- He led the DMK to a landslide victory in the 1971 Assembly elections and later led the DMK to power in 1996. He was arrested in 2001 and later formed an alliance with the Congress in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.
- He served as Chief Minister again in 2006 and served until 2011. In 2016, the DMK became the largest opposition party in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
- He died on August 7th, 2018 from a disease brought on by ageing that caused multiple organ failure.
Monument
- The proposed pen monument will have a floor space of 8,551 square metres and a height of 30 metres.
- It features a pen pedestal, a pedestrian walkway over the water, and a lattice bridge over the beach and land.
- Specifications for the bridge The 7-meter-wide bridge will span 290 metres above land and 360 metres above the water.
Procedure to Establish a Monument
- Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Approval: The Muthamizh Arignar Dr. Kalaignar pen monument is being built in the Bay of Bengal, off the Marina beach in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, with approval from the Union Ministry of Environment.
- Conditions for Approval: The CRZ approval comes with 15 requirements that must be met as the project is being carried out.
- Expert Suggestions: The Expert Appraisal Committee and Tamil Nadu Coastal Zone Management Authority’s recommendations served as the foundation for the clearance.
- Monitoring of Compliance: The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board demands the production of an annual environmental statement, and the fulfilment of requirements must be posted on the website of the Public Works Department (PWD).
- No Objection Certificate: Prior to starting construction, a no objection certificate from INS Adyar, which is 800 metres distant from the project site, must be obtained.
- Studies on erosion and accretion: The project must include erosion and accretion monitoring.
- Crowd Control and Emergency Evacuation: The regional environment office must receive reports on crowd control and emergency evacuation plans.
- Court Orders: The Ministry emphasises that any directives or orders issued by courts and tribunals must be followed. The National Green Tribunal’s southern zone’s final ruling governs the CRZ clearance.
- Detailed Project Report: In accordance with the Ministry’s approval, the Public Works Department (PWD) will create a detailed project report for the project’s execution.
- Infrastructure and Environmental Consultant: The project’s infrastructure and environmental consultant is Hubert Enviro Care Systems, a business with its headquarters in Chennai.
