Seeking to restore the historical record, sought to be blacked out by the previous AIADMK regime, the DMK government restored the 2010 ‘Inauguration Plaque’ of the New Legislative Assembly and Secretariat Complex in Omandurar Government Estate in Chennai, which was subsequently converted into a Multi Super-speciality Hospital by the AIADMK government in 2011.

After tracing the missing 'Inauguration Plaque', which is part of the history when the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh opened the Complex, a certified Gold rated Green building, in the presence of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on March 13, 2010, the State Public Works Department (PWD) reinstated it on the same wall where it was installed in 2010.

The disappearance of the 'Plaque' came to light when the PWD officials launched a drive to find out the status of plaques installed during the DMK regime between 2006 and 2011. It was reinstated on the same wall, next to the 'Plaque' on the inauguration of the Multi super-speciality hospital, thus restoring the historical record of the building, PWD officials said.

As the 'Plaque' was reinstated on September 15, DMK leaders went memory lane down on the New Legislative Assembly and Secretariat Complex, an architectural marvel, built with the expertise of a German architectural firm, incorporating the elements of Dravidian style under the direct supervision of the then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.

After the inauguration, the Tamil Nadu Assembly held a couple of sessions amid shifting of the Secretariat from Fort St George to the new complex. However, after the AIADMK came to power in 2011, it converted the complex into a multi superspeciality hospital, while retaining the Assembly Hall and the Secretariat at the 17th century Fort St George complex.

The English Fortress was built by the East India Company in 1639 and had been serving as its nerve centre in South India during the British regime. Even after Independence, the Fort continued as the power centre, initially for the Madras Presidency and later for the Tamil Nadu government. The threestoreyed main building housed the offices of Chief Minister, council of Ministers, Chief Secretary and Home Secretary among others, while the adjacent 10-storeyed 'Namakkal Kavignar Maligai' housed various other Departments and Secretaries. There has been a long-felt need for a sprawling modern Assembly and Secretariat Complex as no expansion was possible at Fort St George which was under the control of the Department of Defence.

This prompted the DMK patriarch to announce the construction of New Assembly and Secretariat Complex in Omandurar Government Estate on May 12, 2007. A German architect, elected on global tender, designed the complex, comprising Block A for the Assembly and Secretariat and Block B for other Secretariat Departments.

The German architect designed the building incorporating the cultural traditions of the Tamils, features of Dravidian architecture to match a Metropolitan City like Chennai and to add glory to our State.

Block A, with four circular buildings and with a total plinth area of 86,458 Sq. metre was built at a cost of Rs 425.57 crore. The first circle, the biggest among the four, has the Public Plaza, providing access to the general public. The second circle accommodates the Legislative Assembly, while the third houses the library and the fourth, the smallest among the four, houses the office of the Chief Minister.

The Legislative Assembly Hall in the ground floor has a 100 feet high dome above the ceiling, which reflects the temple car architecture of Tamil Nadu. The dome was designed to withstand wind force and corrosion. Below the dome, an opening with 12 m diameter fitted with special glass allows natural light inside the building.

The building is constructed to cause least disturbance to the environment adopting the concepts of Green Buildings.

“The whole area is declared a non-smoking zone and the internal air quality will be pleasant. Gardening with local species of grass and plants with 12 fountains ensured a cool atmosphere around the complex. This building is a certified Gold rated green building and the first to attain this distinction in the category of Parliament and Legislative Assembly buildings in the whole world,” officials said.

The DMK government had built Block B with a total plinth area of 73,399 Sq. metre at a cost of Rs Rs.279.56 crore. This block comprised seven buildings to accommodate Secretariat and each building with ground plus seven floors were linked by connecting corridors. The Block ‘B’ is also connected with Block ‘A’ by a link corridor.

Under the watchful eyes of Mr Karunanidhi, the complex was completed in record time. Those who had then attended the inauguration ceremony included then Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, former Chief Ministers B S Yeddyurappa (Karnataka), Konijeti Rosaiah (Andhra Pradesh) and V S Achuthanandan (Kerala).