Status report sought on notifying wetlands, Ramsar sites

The Madras High Court on Thursday directed the government to file a status report within two weeks explaining the action taken to notify wetlands and Ramsar sites in the State. 

The first bench of Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy issued the direction on a suo motu PIL initiated in 2017 as per the directions of the Supreme Court to protect wetlands across the country. 

Senior counsel and amicus curiae PS Raman submitted that about 6.9% of the State’s total spread is wetlands. “Without notifying wetlands and Ramsar sites, the rules and regulations to protect them could not be implemented. As of now, only Pallikkaranai and Kazhuveli have been notified as wetlands,” he submitted. 

Additional Advocate General (AAG) J Ravindran said the proposal to notify about 12 potential sites as wetlands and Ramsar sites was pending before the government.