A new Tamil Nadu Secretariat building is planned at Foreshore Estate in Pattinapakkam, Chennai, spread across about 25.16 acres. Government sources say the Tamil Nadu Housing Board and the Greater Chennai Corporation have granted the required approvals.
Chief Minister Vijay’s TAVEK government has been pushing ahead with shifting the Chief Minister’s Office and the Secretariat. In the Assembly, the Chief Minister had announced that a new Secretariat would be built at a cost of Rs 1,200 crore, while Fort St George—currently functioning as the Secretariat—would be preserved as a heritage landmark.
With speculation over the location, officials now indicate Pattinapakkam has been finalised as the preferred site. The project is also expected to include additional land belonging to the Revenue Department, taking the overall extent to around 26.5 acres. An official announcement from the state government is expected soon.
The proposed complex is said to have a built-up area of about 20 lakh sq ft and a 15-storey structure. The estimated cost has been put at around Rs 2,047 crore, based on a rate of Rs 22,000 per sq ft, and the site offers easy access to Santhome High Road.
Officials said three locations were examined—Foreshore Estate (Pattinapakkam), the National Research facility area in Guindy, and a site near Fintech City in Nandambakkam—before Pattinapakkam was considered the most suitable. The Housing Board land was acquired in 1958, and government staff quarters built between 1963 and 1998 have since deteriorated, with demolition work currently under way.
