Union Environment Ministry to decide on final approval for Kalaignar Pen Monument

The final clearance for the proposed pen memorial for former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi will be decided by the Expert Appraisal Committee of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on Monday. The 14-member EAC is to convene for its 325th meeting to discuss projects requiring Coastal Regulation Zone clearance.

The final clearance for the proposed pen memorial for former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi will be decided by the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on Monday.

The 14-member EAC is to convene for its 325 th meeting to discuss projects requiring Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance. The agenda includes the proposal for the construction of ‘Muthamizh Arignar Dr. Kalaignar Pen Monument’ in the Bay of Bengal, off the Marina coast, submitted by the State’s Public Works Department (PWD).

The 2.11-acre monument, comprising a pen pedestal, a pedestrian walkway, a lattice bridge and an underground museum, requires CRZ clearance as it falls in the CRZ IV(A), CRZ I(A) and CRZ II areas. The PWD recently sent a proposal for environmental clearance for the pen memorial after it was approved by the Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority (TNSCZMA).

The TNSCZMA cleared the project on April 5 while laying down conditions that no pillars be erected in the CRZ I(A) area to facilitate clear passage for all marine fauna, including turtles, to access the sandy areas; no construction activities be carried out during the turtle nesting period; and no illumination in the CRZ I(A) and CRZ IV(A) areas during the turtle nesting period, both during construction and operational phases.

While the State authorities have maintained that the construction of the monument in the sea will not affect the fisher community, environmentalists have voiced concerns about the coastal ecosystem and pointed out that the environmental impact assessment reports do not include factors related to the sea level rise and the marine life in the project area.