Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Wednesday told the Assembly that her government would construct a manimandapam (memorial) for thespian Sivaji Ganesan as the South Indian Film Artistes’ Associations had failed to utilise the land allotted for the purpose.
“As the association announced that it would construct it, the government did not take any initiative in the beginning. If it had asked me to construct the manimandapam , I would have issued orders for the same in 2006 itself,” she said.
Ms. Jayalalithaa said her government allotted land measuring 65 cents on September 26, 2002 opposite Sathya Studio in Adyar for the memorial for the actor who had starred in over 300 films . Subsequently, the Mylapore tahsildar handed over the land to the association.
“As the approach road to the quarters of the High Court Judges ran through the land, the government requested the association to give Rs. 4.2 lakh for laying a new road. But, the association paid only Rs. 2 lakh and the rest was contributed by the State government. Later, the government also erected a fence wall around the site,” she said.
Ms. Jayalalithaa said her government in four years had constructed memorials for Tamil martyr Sankaralinganar, Veerapandia Kattabomman, John Pennycuick , who constructed the Mullaperiyar dam, and for Karikala Cholan besides memorials for Dheeran Chinnamalai, Veeramangai Velu Nachiyar and Veerathai Kuyili.
The Chief Minister said Sivaji Ganesan did not belong to a particular political party , but to Tamils and Tamil film fans across the world.
When Congress member S. Vijayadharini said both ‘Sivaji’ Ganesan and MGR were members of the Congress, the Chief Minister said the actor should not be confined to a small circle.
