News Headlines
Proposed Pen Statue (artist impression)
At a public hearing regarding the Pen Memorial to be built in the sea for former chief minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president M Karunanidhi, MC Munusamy, the president of the Tamil Nadu BJP Fishermen Cell asked if Karunanidhi was greater than saint-poet Thiruvalluvar because the proposed height of the memorial is 42 metres while the height of the Thiruvalluvar statue is 29 metres.
Even when combined with the pedestal, the Thiruvalluvar statue at Kanyakumari has a total height of 41 metres.
DMK workers present in the audience created a ruckus when he said this.
Thiruvalluvar is famous for his Thirukkural, which is a collection of 1330 couplets on philosophy for life.
The Pen Memorial would be built in the sea at a distance of 360 metres from the coast and would be accessible from the existing Karunanidhi memorial near Marina Beach in Chennai through a bridge.
It is expected to cost the state exchequer around Rs 80 crore.
While the total project area would cover 8,551.13 square metres, about 2,263 square metres of sea area would have to be reclaimed for building the monument.
While supporters of the DMK say that the Pen Statue would be a fitting tribute to Karunanidhi who was a cinema scriptwriter and emphasised education and rationality, there are many who oppose the project.
Environmental activists say that the project site is a prime fishing ground and land reclamation required for the project could damage the coastline.
Poovulagin Nanbargal, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) that works for environmental protection, says that the Statue could instead be built on land within the already existing Karunanidhi memorial.
Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) chief Seeman too opposed the project saying that it would affect the livelihood of 13 fishing villages. He said that he would break the memorial if it was built in the sea.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest