Chennai:
The Rs 425 crore state-of-the-art Tamil Nadu Assembly complex, built over an area of over 80,000 square metres, is all set to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on March 13.
A pet project of Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, the complex, built at the Omandurar Government Estate on arterial Anna Salai, has been designed by German architect and infrastructure developer GMP International.
The civil works of the assembly-secretariat project, for which the foundation was laid in June 2008 by Karunanidhi, were undertaken by city-based ECCI company.
UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi is also expected to be present for the inauguration. The six-storey complex would host the budget session commencing from March 19.
Among the highlights of the new complex would be a mega size dome 120 feet in diameter and 100 feet in height, with a supporting iron structure.
"However, the dome cannot be put in place before March 13 since safety studies are on and the complex would have a replica of it made by renowned film art director Thota Tharani for the inauguration," a PWD official said.
The outer surface of the real dome is to be covered with gold colour anodised aluminium sheets and granite cladding to reduce the intensity of heat.
"To provide a cool atmosphere, marbles imported from Rajasthan have been used for the entire flooring of the complex", the official said.
The Assembly complex would house chambers of the governor, chief minister, opposition leaders, ministers and offices of the secretaries of important departments such as finance, home, law and public.
The complex would have a 2000-seating capacity conventional hall, guest house and parking facilities for more than 500 cars besides roof gardens.
The eight-storey secretariat building is being constructed adjacent to the Assembly complex on an area of 73,399 square meters. The 34.20 metre tall building will have as many as 20 staircases and eight lifts.
Pune-based Vascon Engineers Pvt Ltd has been entrusted with the construction of the Rs 280-crore secretariat complex, which would be ready by next month.
In all, 30 government departments would be accommodated in this building and efforts are on to achieve a 'Green Building' rating. Increased use of natural resources and measures to save at least 25 to 30 per cent of electricity required for the complex are the other objectives.
Officials also said that more than 4,000 persons, including higher officials, engineers and labourers were involved in constructing the whole complex. The Chennai Corporation will develop a 1.1-km-long stretch of road along the Cooum river between Anna Salai and Kamarajar Salai near the new building as a green belt at an estimated cost of Rs 1.25 crore, corporation officials said.
The 58-year-old Tamil Nadu Legislature concluded its last session on January 9, 2010 at the 17th century Fort St. George. The first Legislature of the erstwhile Madras state after Independence was held in March 1952 at the Fort, located on the banks of Bay of Bengal, which was regarded as the first "establishment" of the British in India.