Classification of 14k ha as Red Hills catchment area illegal: High Court

Bench says CMDA has no power to declare land as no-development-area without acquiring it

-  R SIVAKUMAR

IN a significant order, the Madras High Court has declared 'unconstitutional' the classification of 13,720 hectares land spread over 27 villages on the outskirts of Chennai as catchment area of Red Hills reservoir on the grounds of lack of a scientific study and failure to acquire the land within three years of notification. The classification was carried out as per the Second Master Plan for Chennai Metropolitan Area The order was passed by a division bench of Justices SS Sundar and N Senthilkumar recently on two petitions filed by private companies seeking to quash the "lock, seal and demolition" notices issued to their properties by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA).

The companies, Global Waste Recycling Limited and B T Enterprises Private Limited, challenged the CMDA's orders issued in 2017 to lock, seal and demolish the structures of the firms located at Alamathi village in Sholavaram panchayat union stating that the land comes under the catchment area of Red Hills reservoir. Interestingly, at least one of these companies had obtained planning permission after the notification of the Second Master Plan.