The Madras High Court has made it clear that the pendency of a petition seeking the relocation of actor Sivaji Ganesan’s statue to another spot on the Marina, would not come in the way of the State government shifting it to the Manimandapam constructed in his memory. The Manimandapam that has come up in Adayar was ready for inauguration.
Justice M.Duraiswamy, who heard the petition filed by K. Chandrasekaran, president, Nadigar Thilagam Sivaji Samooga Nala Peravai, however, granted four weeks time to the Special government pleader to file a counter affidavit.
In his interim order, the judge said the Division Bench of this court had clearly held that the statue has been erected on the middle of Kamarajar Salai and would affect the traffic flow and obstruct the view of the motorists driving to Dr.Radhakrishnan Salai, and that the government had rightly taken a decision to relocate the statue.
The petitioner had given representations dated September 28, 2016 and May 17, 2017 to relocate the statue at the end of the platform on the eastern side of the Kamarajar Salai where a number of statues had already been erected.
However, the Special government pleader submitted that the government could not relocate the statue at the place sought by the petitioner and had decided to install the statue at the memorial building on Durgabai Deshmukh Road.
The judge posted the matter for further hearing after four weeks.
