MK Stalin-led Tamil Nadu government has on Monday sanctioned Rs 39 crore to build a memorial for late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK stalwart M Karunanidhi. The government has passed an order to set up a memorial at Marina Beach in Chennai, pouring more history and significance to the seashore. Marina Beach has already been a final resting place for the leaders who shaped Tamil Nadu and its politics -CN Annadurai, MG Ramachandran, J Jayalalithaa, and M Karunanidhi. 

While memorials are already built for Annadurai, MG Ramachandran, and J Jayalalithaa, the current DMK regime has now passed an order to build a memorial for Karunanidhi, who had served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu five times and as the President of DMK for five decades. According to reports, the memorial will be built on 2.21 acres of land and at an estimated cost of Rs 39 crore.

The state public works department has been entrusted with getting all the clearances and to ensure that the construction of the memorial is done by adhering to the legal guidelines and requirements. The state government has also directed the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) to provide permission to the memorial construction plan to the government and it has also informed the Coastal Management Authority to prepare a report on whether the memorial falls under the CRZ-11 (Coastal Regulation Zone).

The order of setting up the memorial has come two months after the government's first announcement concerning the memorial. Chief Minister MK Stalin has made the announcement in August and said that Karunanidhi was a multi-faceted personality who had made a mark in Tamil Cinema with the dialogues and was a member of the state assembly for 60 years. He said that there was no leader like Karunanidhi in the past and there will be nobody in the future to achieve such milestones.

The Chief Minister has said that a memorial will be built on 2.21 acres of land in the Anna Memorial complex. As per the Chief Minister's plan, the memorial will be displaying the achievements of Karunanidhi, his thoughts and political journey, historical photographs and visual displays in a way that it would inspire future generations and help them learn about his life story. The government has also advised the Chennai district Collector to provide the necessary clearances to construct the memorial within the Anna Memorial complex.