CM Vijay's office is set to shift from the historic Fort St. George complex to the 10th floor of Namakkal Kavignar Maaligai, driven by an acute shortage of space, with the transition targeted for mid-August.
The Chief Minister's Office is set to move from its long-standing location inside the historic Fort St. George complex to the Namakkal Kavignar Maaligai (NKM), a 10-storey Secretariat annex within the same campus. The Public Works Department has begun preparatory work, with a two-month deadline set for the renovation.
CM Vijay has been functioning from the first floor of the Main Building at Fort St. George, where the CMO has been housed for more than six decades. Officials say the relocation has been driven primarily by an acute shortage of space, as the existing office has struggled to accommodate the large number of officials, visitors and delegations meeting the Chief Minister since he assumed office. The new premises will occupy the 10th floor of the NKM building, offering an unobstructed view of the Bay of Bengal, with the existing large dining hall likely to be converted into the CM's office.
The move marks one of the most significant changes to the functioning of the Secretariat in over a decade. In 2010, the then-DMK government under M. Karunanidhi shifted Secretariat operations to the newly-built Omandurar Government Estate; the succeeding AIADMK government led by J. Jayalalithaa reversed that decision within a year, restoring operations to Fort St. George — the Omandurar complex was later converted into a multi-speciality government hospital.
As part of the transition, the Information and Tamil Development Department will relocate to Kalaivanar Arangam, while other departments will be accommodated elsewhere within the Fort St. George campus. Renovation work — including modifications to the conference hall and dining areas — began over the weekend, alongside security-related changes: a water fountain built at a cost of ₹8 lakh under the Fort St. George beautification project is slated for demolition, and the existing two-wheeler parking area will be removed to create a secure perimeter, a change that has raised concerns among Secretariat employees about reaching their sections for biometric attendance.
Fort St. George Secretariat Administration CM Vijay July 25, 2026