On 3rd September 2026, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay announced plans to establish a new Secretariat complex for ₹1,200 crore in Chennai.
The planned new Secretariat will comprise all state government departments in one complex built on 20 lakh square feet of land area. In addition, the state government will set up a Tamil Nadu Olympic City and a Motor Sports City in Chennai.
CM Vijay announced that the new Secretariat complex will be a state-of-the-art, futuristic, modern complex and will comprise offices of all government departments in a single campus, ditching the existing fragmented framework.
“The new project, estimated at ₹1,200 crore, will span 20 lakh square feet in Chennai, integrating all government departments into a modern, accessible, and eco-friendly facility while preserving the heritage of the existing Fort St. George. The government has control only over a small portion of the 107-acre Fort St. George campus, as the rest is managed by the Defence and the Archaeological Survey of India,” he said.
Tamil Nadu CM Joseph Vijay has announced a new integrated Legislative Assembly and Secretariat complex in Chennai at a cost of ₹1,200 crore
— Nabila Jamal (@nabilajamal_) September 3, 2026
The 20-lakh-square-foot complex will include modern facilities, convention halls, parking, public-service centres, accessibility features… pic.twitter.com/cFenivzfB6
Explaining the rationale behind the decision, CM Vijay said that over the last 40 years, the number of government departments, staff, and administrative responsibilities have significantly increased. This has led to overcrowding in the current, ageing infrastructure.
“It is not possible to expand by undertaking further construction at Fort St George, which was built in the 17th century. A modern and integrated Secretariat complex will be established so that all departments can function from a single campus. To ensure efficient, world-class administration for the coming century, it is necessary to consolidate all government departments into one modern, accessible, and eco-friendly complex,” CM Vijay said.
The new complex will have fire safety systems, accessibility features for individuals with disabilities, and will be constructed in accordance with green building standards. Speaking about the amenities, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said the new Secretariat complex will have ample parking, conference halls, public service centres, and modern facilities for government staff.
In addition, the current Secretariat building, Fort St George, will also be preserved.
“The historically significant Fort St George will be preserved without altering its heritage character,” CM Vijay added.
The coterie that went berserk over the Central Vista Project goes silent over Vijay’s Rs 1,200 crore new Secretariat plan
In 2021, the BJP-led Central government announced the Central Vista Project that involves the redevelopment of the area known as Central Vista Avenue, the area between the Rashtrapati Bhavan and the India Gate, where all the important buildings related to the Union government are located.
Back then, the Congress party and the entire anti-BJP coterie were outraged over the Central Vista Project and rose in opposition, alleging that the project was a ‘criminal wastage’ of money. Now that the Congress party is in alliance with the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), they are not calling CM Vijay’s new Secretariat plans a ‘criminal wastage’ of public money.
Tamil Nadu is under debt of ₹13.18 lakh crore, yet CM Vijay is prioritising appeasement and personal convenience?
The opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) slammed the Vijay government’s move, accusing it of prioritising personal convenience and publicity over public welfare despite claims of an empty treasury.
The TVK government has been facing accusations of squandering state funds on freebies and Muslim appeasement-driven schemes even as the state’s financial health is deteriorating.
Recently, the TVK government announced that the state government will cover the full Under-Graduate tuition fees for Muslim female students admitted under the government quota in government, government-aided, and self-financing colleges. For this, the government allocated ₹20 crore.
Minister A M Shahjahan also announced the expansion of the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board scholarship for Muslim girls, from Classes 1-8 to Classes 9-10 at ₹2,000 per year. The scheme is expected to benefit 41,384 Muslim schoolgirls at a cost of Rs 8.28 crore.
An announcement was also made about a ‘minorities’ women’s college in Chennai through the Waqf Board, with an initial grant of ₹2.45 crore.
Moreover, the Vijay government has also announced a ₹100 crore interest-free revolving fund for loans to develop income-generating assets like marriage halls, commercial complexes, etc. on Muslim and Christian properties.
The state government will also construct a new headquarters for the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board at an estimated cost of ₹40 crore. The administrative grant for the state Waqf Board will also be raised to ₹5 crore.
In late August 2026, CM Joseph Vijay announced three free LPG cylinders a year for every family with an annual income below ₹2.5 lakh, under the Annapoorni Super Six scheme. While the scheme is likely to benefit 1.30 families, it will cost the state exchequer over ₹4,000 crore annually.
CM Vijay has also burdened the state exchequer with fulfilment of his expensive poll promise of 8 grams (one sovereign) of gold to babies born in government hospitals. The Thaimaman Thanga Mothiram scheme will be run with an annual allocation of ₹756 crore for roughly 4.42 lakh rings.
On one hand, CM Vijay has announced ₹1,200 crore new Secretariat complex construction plan, on the other, he pulled the plugs from the second airport project in Chennai.
CM Vijay cancelled the Parandur greenfield airport project that was advanced under the previous DMK government even as land acquisition was already underway, to fulfil his poll promise to protesting farmers.
By cancelling the Parandur airport project, which advanced to the stage of land acquisition after years of planning and clearances, CM Vijay essentially pushed Chennai’s second-airport project back to the initial site-selection phase.
Notably, Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister CTR Nirmal Kumar released a white paper on the condition of the state’s electricity board, revealing an outstanding debt of Rs 2.47 lakh crore. Despite this huge debt burden, the TVK government said that there will be no electricity tariff hike and that the electricity scheme for farmers would continue.
As per the White Paper released by the TVK government itself, the total debt of Tamil Nadu has reached ₹13.18 lakh crore, including ₹10 lakh crore in direct state borrowings and ₹3.18 lakh crore in public sector undertaking (PSU) liabilities. The per capita burden has also risen, with every Tamil Nadu resident effectively carrying a debt share of nearly ₹1.29 lakh.
Despite these alarming figures, the Vijay government is prioritising freebies, Muslim appeasement and now a new Secretariat complex.
