Drop plan for Tamil Nadu Secretariat at Pattinapakkam, CPI urges State government
The CPI has urged the Tamil Nadu government to cancel plans for a new Secretariat in Pattinapakkam, citing potential displacement of fishing communities and environmental risks. The party argues the project threatens local livelihoods and ignores climate change vulnerabilities like rising sea levels.
Why it matters
It highlights the ongoing tension between urban infrastructure development and the protection of marginalized coastal communities and environmental conservation.
CPI State secretary M. Veerapandian. on Thursday (September 10, 2026), has urged the Tamil Nadu government to immediately drop its plan to construct a new Secretariat at Pattinapakkam (Foreshore Estate) in Chennai , citing concerns over the livelihood rights of fishermen, the marine environment, climate change, people’s access to the beach and the security of the government administration.
In a statement, he said nine fisher hamlets including Srinivasapuram, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, Bhavani Kuppam, Selvarajapuram, Duming Kuppam, Notchi Nagar and Notchi Kuppam were located around the proposed site for the Secretariat.
“The people in these hamlets depend on the sea not just for habitation. The sea is the fount of their livelihood, general wealth, fishing, movement of boats, unloading of fish, drying of fishing nets and fish, and storage,” he said.
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