The Kalaivanar Arangam, a familiar landmark on Wallajah Road that was razed to the ground by the previous DMK government to build the new secretariat complex, will soon come up in a grand manner, chief minister J. Jayalalithaa told the Assembly on Wednesday.
“Very soon my government will construct a grand auditorium on the same spot,” chief minister J. Jayalalithaa said amidst thumping of tables by the Treasury Benches. Promptly responding to a plea by PI (M) member G. Beem Rao, Ms. Jayalalithaa said, “The member pointed out that Kalaivanar Arangam was completely bulldozed during the previous rule of minority DMK and that the place is still vacant. The auditorium will be built there in a grand manner.”
This well-known auditorium in the city once housed the state Legislative Assembly and hosted thousands of cultural events, meetings and official ceremonies, till the curtains finally came down on it.
The decades-old auditorium, named after late thinker-comedian N.S. Krishnan, was inaugurated in January 1974 by then chief minister M. Karunanidhi and has 1,039 seats.
Later, intervening the speech of Congress legislator J. G. Prince, the chief minister reminded, “the member says I should recommend to the Centre to bring the Padmanabhapuram palace (in Kanyakumari district) under the administrative control of Tamil Nadu.
During the states’ reorganisation in 1956, when states were divided on linguistic basis, the Congress which was in power at the Centre then decided to give the palace to Kerala.”
When Mr Prince asked the state government to build an airport in Kanyakumari, tourism minister S. Gokula Indira remarked, “this shows that the Congress member has reposed faith on the chief minister to give impetus to Central projects.”
MIn: dmk kept mum on siddha college row
Health minister Dr V. S. Vijay on Wednesday charged DMK and Congress with failing to intervene when the Central government Ayush department banned classes at the Government Siddha Medical College in Palayamkottai.
Replying to a query in the Assembly, Dr Vijay said citing lack of infrastructure, Ayush department had banned classes.
“The Union health ministry did not take steps to revoke its order to allow conduct of classes even after the chief minister took steps address infrastructure issue,” he said.
The minister said the classes have begun after the students got a favourable order from the Madras high court. “We have come to know that the Ayush department is planning to approach the apex court against the high court order,” he said.
Ironically, he said DMK’s Gandhiselvan who holds the Union minister of state for health portfolio did not act on it.