TENKASI: Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami laid the foundation stone for the district collectorate and master plan complex at Tenkasi through videoconferencing from the secretariat in Chennai on Friday.
The master plan complex will be established at Rs 119 crore on an area of 11.11 acre of land on the Tenkasi Government Hospital premises.
The total built-up area of the complex that would house a six-storey building is 28,895 square metre.
Tenkasi as separate district was announced under rule 110 by the CM in the assembly on July 18, 2019. The district was carved out of Tirunelveli district on November 22, 2019. Initially, the collectorate was proposed to be established at Ayiraperi on the Ayiraperi - Courtallam Road.
This attracted a strong opposition from traders, people from all walks of life across the district and leaders of various political parties including Kadayanallur MLA K A M Muhammed Abubacker (Indian Union Muslim League) and Vasudevanallur MLA A Manoharan of the AIADMK as it is highly inaccessible and would make it difficult and expensive to reach the collectorate and other government offices.
The MDMK had fought a legal battle against the choice of location and moved the Madurai bench of the Madras high court. These factors resulted in dropping the proposed collectorate and master plan complex at Ayiraperi. The new building to be established on the district government hospital premises is less than half a kilometre from the Tenkasi New Bus Stand in the town, making it easily accessible from across the district.
It will house the district revenue office, treasury, survey, district rural development agency, backward classes and minorities welfare, cooperation, registration, agriculture, animal husbandry, health services, forest, adi dravida and scheduled tribe welfare and Tamil development departments, project office for women, ELCOT, small savings office, conference halls, disaster management control room and employment office.
The project cost includes access roads, compound wall and other infrastructure. The project is to be completed in 18 months. The master plan complex does not include the district police office and residences of the collector and other top officials of the district.
District collector G S Sameeran, superintendent of police (SP) G Suguna Singh and AIADMK MLAs Selva Mohandas (Tenaksi) and Manoharan (Vasudevanallur) took part in the event. langulam MLA Poongothai Aladi Aruna (DMK) and Kadayanallur MLA K A M Muhammed Abubacker (IUML) boycotted the event alleging that they were not invited.