Building Project Approved In Pallikaranai Reserve Forest? Tamil Nadu Denies

The Tamil Nadu government has categorically denied allegations that it granted environmental clearance and approval to plans for a multi-storeyed building project within the Pallikaranai Reserve Forest. The area is allgedly part of the Ramsar-designated wetland site in Chennai.

In a detailed clarification issued by the Environment, Climate Change and Forest Department, the state government said "no building permission has been accorded in the protected area of the Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest", and asserted that the land in question pertains to private patta lands outside the forest boundary.

The statement underscored that the Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest, the Ramsar site, and the Wetland are three separate legal classifications. 

While 698 hectares have been notified as Reserve Forest under the Tamil Nadu Forest Act, 1882, an additional 550 hectares proposed under the Ramsar site are yet to be delineated. The government has clarified that the "ground truthing" process to demarcate boundaries with specific survey numbers is still in progress.

The release added that in November last year, the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, a central institution, was tasked with delineating the Ramsar boundaries and preparing an Integrated Management Plan. 

"Since the notification process under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 is yet to be finalised, the Ramsar site boundaries are not yet legally defined," the department said.

The clarification came after a non-profit, Arappor Iyakkam, alleged that approvals for a Rs 2,000-crore multi-storeyed project by a private company were granted within the Ramsar site in Perumbakkam. The non-profit also warned that it could increase the flood risk for nearby areas including Perumbakkam and Sholinganallur.

Rejecting the allegations, the government said approvals were granted only on private patta lands outside the reserve forest, adding that "the allegations mentioned in the newspaper articles are not correct" and that the Ramsar site limits would come into force only after formal notification following public consultation.

Arappor Iyakkam's Response

Responding to the government's clarification, Arappor Iyakkam said the statement had "raised more questions than answers" and claimed it has reinforced their allegations. 

The non-profit argued that the Ramsar-designated wetlands are already covered under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, from the date of designation and do not require additional notification for the rules to apply. 

It accused the government of showing "no political will to save the marshlands". The government, it added, has been delaying the boundary delineation process for over three years. 

The group maintained that the disputed 14.7-acre site falls within the Ramsar boundary as per maps of both the State Wetland Authority and the CMDA and demanded immediate cancellation of the project's environmental clearance and plan approval.

Responding to media queries earlier, the private company denied the allegations. It claimed that the land has been owned by the current owner for decades and it has obtained all necessary approvals and statutory clearances from the authorities.