New Rs 1,200-Crore Assembly And Secretariat Complex Planned In Chennai

A new integrated complex housing the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and Secretariat will be constructed in Chennai at an estimated cost of Rs 1,200 crore, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay announced in the Assembly on Thursday. The proposed campus is planned to span two million square feet to accommodate the administrative requirements of the state for the next 100 years. The government has not yet revealed the exact location where the complex will be built.

Making the announcement under Rule 110, Vijay stated that the project aims to bring various government departments together on a single administrative campus equipped with modern facilities. The complex will be built according to green-building standards and will feature firefighting systems, accessibility provisions for persons with disabilities, adequate parking, conference halls, and public service centres.

Highlighting the history of Fort St George, the chief minister noted that the heritage complex was built by the East India Company between 1640 and 1644 and has functioned as the administrative centre of the state since Independence. While the Fort St George site covers approximately 107 acres, the state government controls only around four acres for Secretariat purposes, with the remaining land under the jurisdiction of the Defence Ministry and the Archaeological Survey of India. These restrictions have limited expansion and development at the historic site.

At present, the state Secretariat functions across two primary structures. The main building at Fort St George houses the Legislative Assembly, the offices of the chief minister, the Cabinet, the Chief Secretary, the Finance Department, and other administrative wings. Alongside it, the Namakkal Kavignar Maligai, built in 1978 with a ground floor and 10 upper floors, provides workspace for over 6,000 employees and government secretaries working across more than 30 departments.

According to the government, the employee headcount and administrative responsibilities have increased significantly over the past four decades, while the existing physical infrastructure has remained largely unchanged. An earlier Secretariat complex built at the Omandurar Government Estate was previously converted into a multi-purpose hospital and medical college.

The government confirmed that the existing heritage structures at Fort St George will be preserved as historical monuments to protect their value for future generations. The Rs 1,200 crore project is intended to improve administrative efficiency while retaining Fort St George as a central element of Tamil Nadu's administrative history.