Jaya’s memorial on Marina not in violation of CRZ: Government

In his counter filed in response to the PIL filed by ‘Traffic’ Ramaswamy, R Venkatesan, secretary, Tamil Development and Information Department, submitted that as per CRZ II, buildings permitted on the landward side of the existing and proposed roads or existing structures shall be subject to the local town and country planning regulations as modified from time to time. 

Accordingly, Jayalalithaa’s burial site fell within the existing structures of the memorial of late CM MG Ramachandran, he added. Pointing out that the state govt takes a conscious decision regarding establishment of memorials, the counter noted that the construction of memorial was not a prohibited activity in CRZ area under the CRZ notification of 2011. 

Also, construction of memorials (based on scientific studies) was permitted even in inter-tidal zone as per the amendment issued in Notification dated February 17, 2015, the counter said, and pointed that the memorials of late leaders CN Annadurai and MGR were constructed prior to the promulgation of CRZ notification 1991, and as such there was no violation under CRZ notification on the construction of the said Samadhis. 

The First Bench comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Abdul Quddhose posted the plea to Feb 16 for further hearing. In his petition, Ramaswamy had sought the relocation of the memorials from Marina beach to Gandhi Mandapam in Kotturpuram to protect the coastal zones of TN.