Only private patta lands approved in Pallikaranai Ramsar site, not housing project, clarifies TN government

CHENNAI: The Environment, Climate Change and Forest department on Tuesday issued a detailed clarification dismissing media reports alleging that environmental and building clearances were granted for a multi-storeyed project inside the protected Pallikaranai Ramsar wetland.

The department categorically stated that no construction or project approvals have been issued within the notified Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest, which covers 698 hectares under the Tamil Nadu Forest Act, 1882. It noted that the survey numbers mentioned in recent reports pertain to private patta lands and not to areas under the control of the Forest department.

Explaining the legal distinction between a marshland, a Ramsar site, and a wetland, the department said the Ramsar site designation under the Convention on Wetlands (1971) must be followed by a formal notification under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017. The Pallikaranai Ramsar Site, encompassing the 698-hectare reserve forest and an additional 550 hectares, is still undergoing the delineation process.

The National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), a Government of India institution, has been entrusted with preparing an Integrated Management Plan (IMP) and conducting detailed "ground truthing" to identify exact boundaries, land-use patterns, and zones of influence.

It further emphasised that, as per the Wetlands Rules, the notification process requires the draft map and survey details to be placed in the public domain, followed by a 60-day public consultation and a 240-day review period for objections.

“As the delineation is not yet complete, the Pallikaranai Ramsar boundaries have not been finalised. The approvals mentioned in the reports were granted only for private patta lands outside the current marsh reserve forest limits,” the statement said, firmly rejecting the allegations as factually incorrect and misleading.