On July 14, the SC will hear arguments against building a “Pen Monument” for Karunanidhi

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) supremo and former chief minister M Karunanidhi’s “Pen monument” will be built at Marina Beach close to the Muthamil Kalaignar Karunanidhi memorial. The Supreme Court on Monday postponed hearings on the case until July 14.

Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul’s panel scheduled the case’s hearing for next Friday. Several petitions were submitted protesting the Tamil Nadu government’s choice to build the 134-foot-tall “Pen monument” in Karunanidhi’s memory.
K K Ramesh, a resident of Madurai, asked the Supreme Court to order the Tamil Nadu government and the Ministry of Environment to reverse the decision since it would harm the ecosystem in one of his petitions.

All state government offices allegedly issued approval certifications for the planned monument in a hurry, in violation of environmental rules.
The petition has underlined that unchecked development activity in these places would have a terrible impact on the natural water flow and may eventually lead to serious natural catastrophes.

The petition demanded guidance on how to protect the coastal areas of all States from rising sea levels and erosion. It aimed to “prohibit any construction work, alternative work, or development work in the coastal regions of all states of India”.
In the national interest, it also sought to prohibit the interment of any dead remains in any of India’s coastal districts or the planting of appropriate trees to shield such places from rising sea levels.

The argument said, “The professional views claim that the unchecked building operations on sea coastlines and shady intrusion into the natural course of backwaters are the direct cause of the severe floods encountered in Tamil Nadu in recent years.
Due to Marina Beach’s high rate of accretion (sand accumulation), the monument, which is expected to cost Rs 80 crore, would likely have an influence on the fish population as well as the shoreline.

Additionally, it has asked for guidelines to preserve all states’ coastal districts from increasing sea levels and a restriction on development in such areas.

Prior to this, several citizens of the State had also petitioned the Supreme Court, requesting that it order the Tamil Nadu government and Ministry of Environment to reverse their decision to build the “Pen” monument within Marina beach and to avoid harming the environment and marine life there.

The DMK previously endorsed the idea to construct the “Pen Monument,” arguing that it is the most appropriate action to celebrate the literary genius who was also a political titan.
In addition to being a politician, Karunanidhi was a skilled writer who contributed to the DMK publication Murasoli virtually every day.