Vijay's Office to Move to Namakkal Kavignar Maaligai

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's office will soon be shifted to a spacious one on the 10th floor of the Namakkal Kavignar Maaligai building in the Secretariat complex, a top official said on Tuesday.

The new east-facing office offers a panoramic view of the Bay of Bengal coastline.

Until now, the CM has been functioning from the historic British-era Fort St George.

The CMO is being shifted to a modern building owing to space constraints and administrative considerations.

Following orders issued by Chief Secretary M Sai Kumar, officials of the Public Works Department have initiated an extensive reshuffle within the building to make way for the new Chief Minister's Office.

Various government departments, such as Information and Tamil Development, Tourism, Home, and Commercial Taxes, currently functioning on the 10th floor, are being relocated to Kalaivanar Arangam in nearby Chepauk and to other floors within the building.

Internal renovation, dismantling and structural modifications have been underway on the 10th floor since July 26, turning it into a high-security zone that will house the CM, his advisers and four secretaries.

Though the CM's day-to-day operations will be permanently shifted to the new office, he will continue to use the historic chamber at the Fort St George main block for specific official functions, the government said.

The move marks a departure from the tradition of CMs functioning from Fort St George for nearly six decades, with the only exception being between 2010 and 2011, when then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi briefly functioned from the Secretariat at the Omandurar Government Estate, about two kilometres away.

The Secretariat was shifted back to Fort St George after the AIADMK, led by J Jayalalithaa, returned to power in May 2011. She ordered the swift relocation, and the first Assembly session at the restored Secretariat was held on May 23, 2011.