The Public Works Department has set the ball rolling for the construction of a memorial for former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa at Marina beach. It is in the process of finalising an architect to prepare the design for the memorial.
According to sources, more than 10 bids have been submitted for the tender seeking design for the memorial which would come up at the site where the former Chief Minister was buried on December 6 last year. The memorial would be built on the rear side of the MGR mausoleum.
The designs would be chosen by a committee comprising Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority chief planner, PWD engineer-in-chief, Anna University School of Architecture and Planning chief architect and dean. The chosen architect would have to provide details adhering to Coastal Regulation Zone norms, officials said.
‘A year to build’
After finalising the design and construction area and preparing the project estimate, it would take about five to six months for the construction of the memorial to start. The project may be completed in a year, the officials added.
At present, the burial site of the former Chief Minister continues to attract crowd every day. It may be recalled that Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami had announced in the State Assembly a few months ago that a memorial would be built for the former Chief Minister at a cost of ₹15 crore.
Nearly 64 memorials have been established and maintained by the Information and Public Relations Department across the State. Of this, 14 memorials for several leaders have been built in various areas of Chennai, including Gandhi Mandapam, Royapuram and T. Nagar. Marina beach has memorials for former Chief Ministers C.N. Anna Durai and M.G. Ramachandran along Kamarajar Salai.
The department had recently developed and inaugurated a park in the three-acre land inside Perarignar Anna memorial at a cost of ₹2.62 crore along with the Chennai Corporation.