CHENNAI: PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Tuesday cautioned that the Tamil Nadu government's plan to construct a new Secretariat at Pallavan Illam on Anna Salai would lead to traffic congestion.

Responding to media reports about shifting the project from Pattinapakkam, he noted that the Pallavan Illam site spans only 13.22 acres, which is significantly smaller than the previously considered 26.26-acre plot in Pattinapakkam and the 39.54-acre space at the Omandurar government estate.

Furthermore, constructing a massive 20 lakh-square-feet Secretariat along the banks of the Cooum River poses severe environmental risks and flood hazards. The site is tightly bound by major roads, a river, and religious structures. Future expansions would be entirely impossible, he claimed in a statement.

While supporting a new Secretariat for long-term administrative needs, the former union minister urged the state to adopt a visionary approach by establishing an integrated administrative city spanning 500 to 1,000 acres on the outskirts of Chennai, ensuring sustainable growth for the next century.