CHENNAI: Over 300 residents from Perungudi and Thoraipakkam, along with members of the Federation of Thoraipakkam Residents Welfare Association, staged a protest on Saturday near the Thoraipakkam-Rajiv Gandhi Salai junction on the Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road, opposing restrictions on construction near Pallikaranai marshland following the National Green Tribunal's order.
Revocation of the marshland influence zone order, permission to allow construction within the zone, and protection of the actual marshland were the three key demands raised by the protesters.
Sholinganallur MLA S Aravind Ramesh participated in the protest and assured residents that the issue would be raised in the State Assembly. Stating that he was also affected by the order, he said the NGT, a statutory body under the Union government, had taken suo motu cognisance after a private developer laid a road in the Kaiveli portion of the marshland, a protected Ramsar site.
This led to directions halting new construction and the sale of plots through the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority. The MLA pointed out that the restriction covered a vast area, including his own residence, which falls within a one-km radius of the marshland.
Several State government infrastructure projects and buildings are also located within the zone and are now under scrutiny. He added that Chief Minister MK Stalin would pursue legal remedies to arrive at a viable solution.
Explaining the situation, A Francis of the Federation of Thoraipakkam Residents Welfare Association said the Tamil Nadu Wetlands Authority was in the process of fixing the zone of influence for the Pallikaranai Marshland. Until the process is completed, construction of any building within a one-km radius of CMDA-approved plots has been barred.
As a result, large stretches of patta lands and approved house sites in Perungudi, Seevaram, Thoraipakkam, Karapakkam, Sholinganallur, Injambakkam, Chemmancheri, Perumbakkam, Medavakkam, Jaladianpettai and Pallikaranai are expected to be affected.
D Raman, president, Sholinganallur Constituency Residents Welfare Associations, alleged that encroachments on the Pallikaranai marshland had not been fully removed despite NGT directions issued in 2022. Instead, he said, the rights of residents to construct homes on patta lands and approved house sites had been curtailed by the CMDA.