In a statement, Palaniswami said the proposed location, along Santhome Road adjoining the Pattinapakkam beach, was already heavily congested. The area has fishermen’s settlements, residential neighbourhoods, schools and significant vehicular movement, and the construction of a major administrative complex could further worsen traffic congestion and inconvenience residents, he said.

He recalled that during the AIADMK governments led by former Chief Ministers M.G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa, efforts had been made to identify a suitable location for a new Secretariat without space constraints or traffic-related problems.

Palaniswami said that farmers’ issues and several social welfare concerns remained unresolved, while the State was facing a severe financial crisis. In such circumstances, borrowing Rs 1,200 crore for the construction of a new Secretariat at Pattinapakkam was unnecessary, he argued.

He urged the government to drop the proposal and consider constructing a new Secretariat only after the State’s financial position improved. Any future site, he said, should be selected carefully to ensure that it does not create traffic problems or cause hardship to residents.