CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the constitution of a three-member expert committee to carry out a detailed study of shrimp farms operating in and around Thillaivilagam and Udayamarthandapuram villages in Tiruvarur.
B Yoganathan, a Tiruvarur resident, filed a petition seeking an interim ban on shrimp farms allegedly operating illegally on agricultural lands in villages, including Thillaivilagam and Udayamarthandapuram in Muthupettai taluk. The court had asked the District Collector to take immediate action to shut down farms found to be functioning without proper registration in the area.
Alleging non-compliance with the earlier order, the petitioner filed a contempt petition against Tiruvarur District Collector V Mohanachandran, which was heard by Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy.
After hearing both sides, the court observed that wetlands are of international ecological importance and noted that the Udayamarthandapuram Bird Sanctuary hosts a large population of the globally declining Open-billed stork.
The judge rejected the report of the Fisheries Assistant Director, which claimed that shrimp farming posed no ecological threat, holding that it contradicted expert assessments that formed the basis for the area being designated as a Ramsar site.
The court ordered a comprehensive technical and sector-specific study by an expert body. A three-member committee comprising representatives from the National Environmental and Ecological Research Institute in Nagpur, the Secretary to the Government, and Advocate Yogeswaran has been constituted.
The committee has been directed to assess shrimp farming practices in Udayamarthandapuram, Thillaivilagam and the Muthupettai Ramsar site, including the legality of licences and compliance with environmental norms, and to submit a detailed report within three months.