No plan for statue at Modern Theatres entrance: Govt

Chennai: The State government had no plans to set up any statue or construct any structure at the entrance of premises where the famous film studio, Modern Theatres, once stood on the Salem-Yercaud Road, Minister for PWD and Highways said, dispelling rumours of a proposal to erect a statue of former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi there.

Denying reports that the government was putting pressure on the present owners to part with the land, the Minister, in a statement said that the focus was now on conserving the old arch at the Modern Theatres premises entrance that now clearly stood on Highway land in Kannankurichi village.

The land in the area was measured recently to earmark the borders of the properties by erecting boundary stones as the government proposed to widen the road and did not want to acquire any private land for the purpose, Velu said.

It was in that exercise it was found while marking the property borders, that the arch of the old Modern Theatres, whose 8.9 acre land had been converted into plots and commercial buildings, was situated on the Highway land.

BJP State President K Annamalai had come out with a three-page statement a couple of days ago accusing the government of trying to erect the statue of Karunanidhi at the Modern Theatres, where he was employed once upon a time.

Annamalai also recalled Chief Minister M K Stalin recently visiting the spot and taking a selfie with the Modern Theatre entrance arch as the backdrop and making a scathing attack on the government for trying to put up the statue there.

With media houses highlighting the controversy, Velu came out with the clarification.