Chennai: Arappor Iyakkam, an NGO fighting against corruption, has petitioned the state govt to cancel approvals granted to a property developer for a residential project in Perumbakkam, alleging that the site falls within the protected Pallikaranai marshland.In a complaint submitted to chief minister C Joseph Vijay, the organisation said that the company is “trying to restart the construction in violation of the Wetland Conservation rules 2017 as well as a Supreme Court stay order to not undertake any construction within the wetland maps identified.”The project on land, under survey numbers 453, 495/2C, 496, 497 and 498 in Perumbakkam village, Chengalpet district, falls within the boundaries of the Pallikaranai marshland.Pallikaranai is one of the 94 wetlands identified under the National Wetland Conservation and Management Programme. It is a freshwater marsh and partly saline wetland that serves as an aquatic buffer for Chennai and Chengalpet.The NGO added that the construction must be stopped immediately, and action must be taken against the officials who granted the permissions. The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) and the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) failed to consider the site’s status as part of a protected wetland while granting permissions, it said. The project applicant did not disclose the land’s location within or near the Ramsar site during the environmental clearance process, it added.The complaint has requested the state govt to review the permissions granted to the project, halt construction activities, and ensure protection of the marshland in accordance with wetland conservation regulations.
