No violation of CRZ norms in Jaya, MGR, Anna memorials: TN gvt

The Tamil Nadu government today informed the Madras High Court that late chief minister J Jayalalithaa's burial site off the Marina Beach here fell under the Coastal Regulation Zone-II (CRZ) where buildings are permitted.
This was stated in a counter-affidavit to a public interest litigation seeking to relocate the memorials of Jayalalithaa and also that of late chief ministers and AIADMK and DMK founders M G Ramachandran and C N Annadurai, respectively from the area adjoining the beach.
The counter was submitted before the first bench comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Abdul Quddhose which posted the PIL to February 16 for further hearing.

Petitioner Traffic Ramaswamy, a social activist, sought a direction to the authorities to relocate the memorials to Gandhi Mandapam in Kotturpuram to protect the coastal zone.
The state government submitted that it took a conscious decision with regard to establishment of memorials, taking into consideration the importance of leaders whose contributions have led to the upliftment of the society.
It also said the memorials of Annadurai and MGR were constructed prior to the promulgation of CRZ notification in 1991 and as such there was no violation of the norms.

Further, construction of a memorial was not listed under the prohibited activities under CRZ notification of 2011.

Also, the burial site of Jayalalithaa was falling in CRZ-II, where buildings shall be permitted on the landward side of the existing road or on the landward side of existing authorised structures.
Jayalalithaa's burial site fell within the existing memorials, the counter added.