Trucks dump debris to level marshland in Perumbakkam

CHENNAI: Even as the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) is hearing a case about a builder dumping debris in Pallikaranai marsh to create an access road, unknown persons have been dumping construction waste in the same region of the marsh since Thursday.

Residents said trucks have been dumping construction waste along the compound wall of the Embassy Residency in Perumbakkam last two days to level the marshland. "It is not known whether the marsh is patta land or forest land. However, the spot is a part of marshland. The entire region was a part of the marshland in the past," David Manohar, an activist, said.

He said the government should mark the boundaries of the marshland under the maintenance of the forest department as well as the patta lands owned by private persons.

Experiencing heavy flooding during last year's monsoon, residents expressed fear that levelling of marshland may result in flooding as debris will change the nature of the marsh.

Chennai district forest officer VA Saravanan said the land does belong to the forest department and is patta land. "We inspected the area based on the NGT direction recently (in the access road case) and found it is patta land. Moreover, we have a team in Pallikaranai marshland area to monitor violations. We are constructing a compound wall around the marshland maintained by the forest department," he added.

The site, where the present dumping is happening, is very close to the site where a private builder dumped debris in the marshland to create an access road. During the hearing, TN State Wetland Authority told NGT that the area in question (access road) is a marshland and the road lies within the zone of influence and adjoining to the boundary of the Pallikaranai Marshland Reserve Forest, which is a Ramsar site. The site is a patta land and the pathway has been developed by the builders mobilising construction materials within the marsh ecosystem, it said.

Following this, NGT ordered the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) to coordinate with the wetland authority before granting building approvals.