Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K.S. Alagiri on Sunday defended the DMK government’s decision to build a pen-shaped memorial for former DMK president and Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on the Marina beach. He condemned those who were speaking against the decision.
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In a statement, Mr. Alagiri said he was unsure what environmental impact would be from the construction of the proposed memorial 360 metres from the beach sands in the sea.
“The experts group, which has been studying the proposed site for the last one month, has concluded in its report that there are no turtles or fish found there. It is not acceptable that the memorial is being opposed for someone who built a 133-foot Thiruvalluvar statue. Most are forgetting that all ports in India have been built in the sea,” he said.
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Mr. Alagiri further pointed out that the first underwater museum was being set up in Pudhucherry in association with the Indian Navy and the National Institute of Ocean Technology by the Central government. “The Indian Navy has agreed to convert its ship INS Cuddalore as a museum. One has to travel kilometres to visit the museum. But nobody has said that the environment will be affected,” he said.
He also pointed out how a memorial for Chhatrapati Shivaji was being built one-and-a-half kilometre from Marine Drive in Mumbai city. “For a different leader who was instrumental in deciding national politics for 80 years, a different kind of memorial is necessary. He reached the top through hard work and he didn’t stop writing until the end,” he said.
Mr. Alagiri claimed the critics of the memorial were vociferous because they knew that they would get featured in the media.