<p>The Tamil Nadu government has appointed a special officer (SO) to expedite work at the memorial being built for former chief minister J Jayalalithaa on the Marina Beach.</p>.<p>The state government plans to inaugurate the memorial on February 24, the birth anniversary of Jayalalithaa.</p>.<p>The memorial, which is being built at a cost of Rs 57.96 crore, is coming up behind the MGR memorial, and the project is undertaken by the Tamil Nadu government. Jayalalithaa was buried next to her mentor M G Ramachandran on December 6, 2016, according to Dravidian customs.</p>.<p>R Pandiarajan, who retired as a superintending engineer, Public Works Department, in April 2020, has been appointed as the special officer on a contract basis to “monitor and coordinate the works in order to complete the project in a stipulated time,” an order signed by K Manivasan, Principal Secretary (PWD), read.</p>.<p>He is being hired for a period of three months, the order added.</p>.<p>The move assumes significance in the wake of reports that Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami is keen on inaugurating the memorial in February, months before the state Assembly faces its most crucial polls in recent times.</p>.<p>Sources in the government told DH that the need for the appointment of a special officer arose due to delay in completing the project. “There were delays due to a variety of factors and we want the project to be completed soon. Covid-19 lockdown also delayed the project considerably,” a senior government official said.</p>.<p>The memorial will also have a museum and a knowledge park, while the project also includes sprucing up of MGR memorial.</p>
<p>The Tamil Nadu government has appointed a special officer (SO) to expedite work at the memorial being built for former chief minister J Jayalalithaa on the Marina Beach.</p>.<p>The state government plans to inaugurate the memorial on February 24, the birth anniversary of Jayalalithaa.</p>.<p>The memorial, which is being built at a cost of Rs 57.96 crore, is coming up behind the MGR memorial, and the project is undertaken by the Tamil Nadu government. Jayalalithaa was buried next to her mentor M G Ramachandran on December 6, 2016, according to Dravidian customs.</p>.<p>R Pandiarajan, who retired as a superintending engineer, Public Works Department, in April 2020, has been appointed as the special officer on a contract basis to “monitor and coordinate the works in order to complete the project in a stipulated time,” an order signed by K Manivasan, Principal Secretary (PWD), read.</p>.<p>He is being hired for a period of three months, the order added.</p>.<p>The move assumes significance in the wake of reports that Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami is keen on inaugurating the memorial in February, months before the state Assembly faces its most crucial polls in recent times.</p>.<p>Sources in the government told DH that the need for the appointment of a special officer arose due to delay in completing the project. “There were delays due to a variety of factors and we want the project to be completed soon. Covid-19 lockdown also delayed the project considerably,” a senior government official said.</p>.<p>The memorial will also have a museum and a knowledge park, while the project also includes sprucing up of MGR memorial.</p>
