Tamil Nadu’s search for an Assembly complex echoes more than a century of proposals
The Tamil Nadu government’s effort to identify a site for a new Assembly-Secretariat complex follows a long history of proposals to move the legislature beyond Fort St. George. Archive material records plans dating to 1896, while successive governments considered sites including Napier Battery, Island Grounds, Esplanade and Chepauk.
Tamil Nadu’s search for a site for an Assembly-Secretariat complex has followed a pattern established more than a century ago, with successive governments considering alternatives to Fort St. George before returning to the historic premises. Material from The Hindu Archives shows that a proposal for a new building for the Legislative Council Chamber and the Secretariat was discussed as early as 1896.
The proposed location was on the South Beach, now Kamarajar Salai, near Presidency College. The estimated cost was ₹12 lakh. A further proposal was moved in 1936 by Finance Member G.T.H.
Bracken, who said a new building would be needed after the creation of a bicameral legislature under the Government of India Act, 1935. The Napier Battery, near Napier Bridge, was provisionally considered for the project. Members debated the architectural character of the proposed building.
Some called for a Dravidian and Swadeshi design, while others wanted a structure that would evoke national feeling and include a place of worship for Muslims. Bracken said he supported an Indian design that could be Dravidian, Mughal or otherwise. The Napier Battery proposal was later abandoned after the Congress formed a government in 1937.
Esplanade and the Island Grounds were considered, but negotiations over the latter did not produce a transfer. The legislature meanwhile functioned from Senate House in Chepauk and later from Banqueting Hall. Fort St.
George was remodelled in 1939 to bring the legislature back. The Second World War then disrupted the plans, and Congress governments resigned. The discussion resumed after Congress returned to power in 1946.
The latest search, involving the current TVK-led government, therefore continues a longstanding debate over location, ownership and design.
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