NGT bars CMDA from issuing building approvals near Pallikaranai marshland

THE southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed that no planning permission or construction approval be granted in or around the Pallikaranai Marshland until an Integrated Management Plan (IMP) is finalised and the Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority (TNSWA) determines the zone of influence of Chennai's last surviving wetland.

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Delivering a landmark order in a suo motu case on Wednesday, judicial member Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Prashant Gargava made it clear that the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), TNSWA and water resources department (WRD) must coordinate to complete the IMP and scientifically delineate the "zone of influence" of the Ramsar site before allowing any development.

The case was registered based on a TNIE article published in June 2023, highlighting a road being laid across the Perumbakkam marshland using construction debris. The tribunal took cognisance and issued notices to state agencies and pri vate developers, including Casagrand Builders and Grande City Development Company LLP.