Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Wednesday told the Assembly that her government would construct a manimandapam (memorial) for late actor Sivaji Ganesan as the South Indian Film Artistes' Associations had failed to utilise the land allotted for the purpose.
"As the association announced that it would construct the manimandapam, the government did not take any initiatives. If it had asked me to construct the manimandapam it would have issued orders for the same it in 2006 itself," she said while making a suo muto statement in the House.
Ms. Jayalalithaa said her government allotted land measuring 65 cents, on September 26, 2002, opposite Sathya Studio in Adayar for the purpose of erecting a manimandapam for Sivaji Ganesan, who had acted over 300 films and received many honours, including Dadasaheb Palkhe award.
Subsequently, the Myalpore tahsildar handed over the land to the association. "As the approach road to the quarters of the High Court judges ran through the land, the government requested the association to give Rs 4.20 lakh for laying a new road. But the association paid only Rs 2 lakh and the rest was contributed by the state government. Later the government also erected a fence wall around the site," she said.
Ms. Jayalalithaa said her government in four years had constructed manimandapams for Tamil martyr Sankaralinganar, Veerapandia Kattabomman, John Penny Quick, who had constructed the Mullaperiyar dam, and Karikala Cholan besides memorials for Theernam Chinnamalai, Veeramangai Velu Natchiyar and Veerathai Kuyili.
