Tamil Nadu: J Jayalalithaa’s Poes Garden residence to be acquired for memorial

Veda Nilayam, the residence of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, will be acquired by the state government which has begun the process formally, over two years after it announced that the sprawling bungalow in upscale Poes Garden in Chennai will be converted into a memorial for her.

Chennai District Collector R Seethalakshmi issued a notification to acquire the sprawling property under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.

"This project does not involve the displacement of any families or relocation. There are no project affected families and hence no question of relocation, resettlement and rehabilitation of the affected families," the Chennai Collector said in the public notice.

The Tamil Nadu government had on August 17, 2017, announced that the Poes Garden residence of Jayalalithaa will be converted into a memorial for her. However, there was little movement on the decision even as Deepa and Deepak – the children of Jayalalithaa’s only brother Jayakumar – went to the court opposing the decision.

The sprawling mansion will be converted into a memorial of its high-profile owner who ruled Tamil Nadu’s political arena for nearly three decades. The bungalow, whose value is nearly Rs 90 crore as on date, was purchased by Jayalalithaa’s mother Sandhya for a mere Rs 1.32 lakh in 1967 when both were in the glamorous film world.

Though Deepa and Deepak are entitled to inherit the property since they are the only surviving legal heirs of the late leader, the Tamil Nadu Government said the legal heir is yet to be ascertained.