The Union Ministry of Environment has granted the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance, with 15 conditons, for the Tamil Nadu government’s proposal to construct the Muthamizh Arignar Dr. Kalaignar pen monument in the Bay of Bengal, off the Marina beach in Chennai.
The CRZ clearance was provided based on the recommendations of the Expert Appraisal Committee (CRZ) and Tamil Nadu Coastal Zone Management Authority.
It has also noted that the Ministry may revoke or suspend the clearance if the implementation of the conditions were not found satisfactory.
The environment statement would have to be submitted to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board every year and the compliance of conditions need to be uploaded on PWD website.
The Pen Memorial pays tribute to M. Karunanidhi.
The idea of a monument on water derives from the metaphorical catamaran to which Karunanidhi compared himself.
The pen monument will be 30 meters high and it would be spread over 8,551 sq.m.
This would include a pen pedestal, a lattice bridge above the beach and a land and pedestrian pathway above the sea.
The 7-metre wide bridge would be 290-metre long over the land and 360-metre long over the sea.
