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The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Conservationists' fight to protect ‘Perfect Unanimity', the British-era building on the Marina
The building housing the office of Director General of Police (DGP) on the Marina is called 'Perfect Unanimity.' But, about 30 years ago, it became the source of discord between the then AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) government and a host of concerned residents of Chennai, as the former had planned to demolish the 19th Century heritage structure and raise a '10 storeyed and elegant' complex for the Police department. Thanks to sustained efforts of a band of dedicated conservationists, the authorities had eventually dropped their plan and gone about strengthening the Victorian-era building, which continues to serve as the headquarters of the Police department. The episode of the campaign to save the DGP office complex was recalled by many, while mourning the passing of veteran architect-conservationist Tara Murali in Chennai last week. She, along with a host of prominent residents of Chennai, had successfully fought hard in saving the building from demolition. It all began in April 1993 with the then Chief Minister Jayalalitha (as her name was spelt then) announcing, during her reply to the debate in the Assembly on the demands for grants to the Home department, her regime's plan to construct a new structure. At that time, she made only a brief reference to the plan. More details came three months later when she visited the DGP office, the first Chief Minister to do so after the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's founder and her predecessor C.N. Annadurai. A news report in The Hindu on July 28, 1993 stated 'the new complex of the office of the Director General of Police, to be constructed at the existing site on the Marina here at a cost of about Rs. [ ₹] 15 crore will have all facilities and become a landmark for the city. At the same time, care would be taken to ensure that the building comes up in harmony with the existing natural surroundings.' A number of reports and articles published by this newspaper traced the origins of 'Perfect Unanimity.' Free Masons of Madras, as the city of Chennai was officially known in the 19th Century and most of the 20th Century, was the owner of the property. The Police department took the building initially on lease for seven years from July 24. 1865 at the monthly rent of ₹ 90. It was on June 11, 1874 that the government acquired the building for ₹ 20.000 and spent ₹ 10.000 more on additions and repairs. Alterations and extensions were made in 1909 to accommodate the CID (Criminal Investigation Department) wing of the overall Police department which was formed in 1906. The main reason adduced by the authorities then for the new building was space constraint in the 19th Century structure in view of the growth of the Police department. In Tamil Nadu, it was in 1979 that the post of DGP was created to head the department. [At present, as per the sanctioned executive strength of the department, there are 14 DGPs, 18 Additional DGPs, 44 IGs (Inspector General), 37 Deputy IGs and 173 Superintendents of Police, in addition to other ranks]. The opposition to the operation against the DGP office complex came in March 1994, when many prominent citizens including former Union Minister C. Subramaniam, former DGPs K. Ravindran and V.R. Lakshminarayanan, leading writer R.K. Narayan, veteran musician Semmangudi R. Srinivasa Iyer, ace tennis player Ramanathan Krishnan, film actor Kamal Hassan and journalist-writer S. Muthiah had appealed to the then DPG S. Sripal to withdraw the demolition proposal. Representatives of the Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG), for which Tara Murali was an advisor, and the Environmental Society were also signatories of the appeal. Explaining in detail why the operation should be halted, the citizens had mooted the idea of converting the building into a museum of police history, if the building could not be used to suit the department. P.T. Krishnan, senior architect, said it should not be difficult to renovate the building which had no structural problem. However, a month later, Jayalalithaa told the Assembly that a sum of ₹3 crore had been allotted for construction of a new DGP office complex on the Marina. In the meantime, competitive designs were invited from archiects for the proposed building. In October 1994, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for the new complex. At that time, she did not touch upon the controversy but she said her intention was that the new building for the police headquarters should be a 'magnificent landmark,' which would adorn the sea front with matching beauty. She also observed that ' our emphasis must be on constructive correction rather than on destructive denigration.' A positive outcome of the demolition operation was that another heritage structure, the 18th-century Government House (Old MLAs' Hostel) on the Omandurar Government Estate received a facelift to accommodate the Police department temporarily. The DGP office had started functioning from the Government House mid-December 1994, the Tamil Nadu regional chapter of INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) organised a public meeting to demand the enactment of a law to protect heritage buildings. At the meeting, Tara Murali had moved a plea wherein it was stated that the move would violate existing building rules, set an undesirable precedent that would pose a threat to other heritage buildings and threaten the Marina, the only lung space left in the city. A number of leading personalities including the then Vice-Chancellor of Anna University M. Anandakrishnan took part in the meeting. It was around the time that the Madras HIgh Court stayed the demoliton operation, after being moved by the INTACH. As the legal battle went on, there was a regime change in the State in May 1996 when the DMK returned to power. Three months later, the then Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi announced in the Assembly that his government would not go ahead with the previous regime's decision of demolishing the DGP office building. Two years later, he declared open the renovated DGP building on the Marina. Subsequently, an annex was also built. When Jayalalithaa (by then adding an additional 'a' to her name) returned to power in May 2001, her government, in late 2003, announced that a new building for the DGP office would be built on the Film City complex in Taramani over 24 acres at a cost of ₹ 30 crore and the present building would be converted into a museum. However, nothing much was heard about this proposal. 'Perfect Unanmity' is still performing its traditional duty of providing accommodation to the Police department. The campaign, launched by conservationists including Tara Murali about 30 years ago, made it possible.
New Indian Express
23-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
‘Will announce coalition in upcoming conference', says Seeman
VILLUPURAM: Naam Tamilar Katchi chief Seeman, speaking at the inauguration of a party functionary's hospital in Villupuram, accused both DMK and BJP of betraying Tamil Nadu's interests, and claimed that the parties are no different when it comes to bringing in corporate projects against people's welfare. Responding to speculation on alliances, Seeman urged people to wait until the party's upcoming conference, where he would announce his coalition. 'We're the only independent force. BJP and DMK are two sides of the same coin. We are in alliance with the people,' he declared. Seeman further questioned the growing influence of national parties in Tamil Nadu. He claimed that the DMK pretends to oppose the BJP, but enables RSS marches that didn't happen under former CM Jayalalitha's rule. 'If those in power (Dravidian parties) had served the people well, why would national parties be needed here? Why demand CBI probes when we have a sturdy police force,' he asked. Seeman also condemned the alleged lack of Tamil texts in temples and exams, and slammed projects such as the Neyveli coal mining and methane extraction project, stating that they destroy native livelihoods.
Hans India
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Will the Dravidian model rule work for DMK in 2026?
As an effective campaign tool, there is hardly anything better than promising 'social welfare'. Over five decades and more, from the time Mrs Indira Gandhi announced 'Garibi Hatao' as one of her policies to alleviate the misery of the masses in the turbulent 1970s, political parties in India have effortlessly sailed on this bandwagon to hit the bull's eye most of the times at the hustings. The DMK government, which as expected, announced its completion of four years of Dravidian model rule last week in a grand way, highlighted its work in this regard. Three notable schemes – financial assistance scheme to women, free bus rides for the fair sex and breakfast schemes for government-aided schools are already being spoken about as game changers for the oldest regional party in south India. Tamil Nadu, which has firmly been a pocket borough of both DMK and AIADMK for close to six decades is a standout example of 'intensely local' mode of governance in this phase. It has dealt with the Centre on its own terms, not always successful, but has riled the Delhi establishment many a time with its insular and Tamil-first approach on many issues. On the face of it, with the next Assembly elections due in May 2026, the party does not seem to have a real competitor to challenge it as it aims for a repeat performance. History may not be on its side as DMK has never returned to power despite ruling from Fort St George for the first time since 1967 as the State faced 16 elections in this period. Interestingly, Jayalalitha bucked the trend as AIADMK stormed to power, to enable her stay on as the CM till her demise in 2016. Stalin, having served for long under his mercurial and successful Dravidian politician father, M Karunanidhi got his due in 2021 after effectively dethroning the wobbling rival, the AIADMK. Having resorted to the standard campaign which regional party heads have adopted, he had kept the limelight on his party and political performance by challenging Delhi and taking on the NDA on contentious issues like NEET abolition and recently, the NEP. While this has given him better visibility in the anti-BJP bloc, which is now in a battered shape, it has alerted the alliance partners who find themselves to be in a better position to bargain and bag more seats for themselves from either of the two formations. While the caste element is at the core of any such arrangements as described above, the AIADMK, which would be forced to enter into a tight ropewalk as far as its big ally BJP is concerned may end up being a comforting factor for its opponents. The saffron party has been quick to make the appropriate noises and also take decisive action by removing the popular state chief, Annamalai to keep the alliance on track. Analysts are quick to point out despite the Tamil media grudgingly acknowledging it, the BJP has grown from what it was to touch a decent 11 per cent vote share in the Lok Sabha polls and has kept the youth interested. DMK is still being critically assessed for its patchy track record on law and order, corruption charges against in the upper echelons of bureaucracy and a few ministers who have been jailed and a worrisome industrial relations scenario with the Samsung strike posing a few uncomfortable questions. Unemployment too is an issue which has bothered the state youth and the government is on the defensive in this case. Hence, a year, as of now, may seem too long, but politics is a strange animal. Regional politics, even stranger.
