EPS-OPS lay foundation stone for Jayalalithaa's memorial

The environmentalists had opposed the memorial as the rule states that "Construction of permanent structures on Marina beach is prohibited by the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2011".

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Monday laid the foundation stone for the memorial of former chief minister Jayalalithaa on the Marina Beach in Chennai.

The memorial, which would be constructed adjoining the mausoleum of former Chief Minister and AIADMK founder M.G. Ramachandran, is estimated to cost around Rs 45 crore, reported The Hindu.

Palanisamy had in June 2017 told the state assembly that a grand structure will be built in the memory of Jayalalithaa, but the environmentalists had called it a gross violation of corporation as well as coastal regulations zone rules.

The environmentalists had opposed the memorial as the rule states that "Construction of permanent structures on Marina beach is prohibited by the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2011".

Later, both the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority and Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Development Authority gave thumbs up to the project with various rules to comply.

The Jayalalithaa memorial is of great significance to Tamil Nadu politics. This was the place that O Panneerselvam visited and meditated before rebelling against Sasikala Natarajan in February last year. An image of a meditating Panneerselvam became a milestone in Tamil Nadu political history.

Laying the stone to the Amma Memorial will probably give the EPS-OPS faction a boost among voters.