Anbumani Questions Wetland Authority Over Shrinking Pallikaranai Buffer Zone

Pallikaranai Buffer Zone

PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss has questioned whether the Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority works for the government or for construction companies. In a statement on Tuesday, he criticised the state government for delaying the official notification of the Pallikaranai marshland as a wetland.

Authority Counter Affidavit

The controversy follows a counter affidavit filed by the Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority in the Madras High Court. The affidavit stated that a meeting of officials on September 30, 2026, decided to reduce the buffer zone around the marshland from the National Green Tribunal's figure of 8,397 acres down to 316 acres. Private construction companies had previously gone to court to challenge a National Green Tribunal order from September 24 last year that banned construction within a one-kilometre radius of the marsh.

Action Demanded

Dr. Anbumani accused the Wetland Authority of acting with lightning speed to help construction firms avoid business losses. He contrasted this with the lack of urgency in implementing a Supreme Court judgment from December 11, 2024, which ordered the survey and official notification of the marsh boundaries to stop ongoing damage. He demanded that the state government immediately notify Pallikaranai and all other wetlands in Tamil Nadu, and stop building a six-foot-high protective wall and a two-kilometre-long walkway near the marsh.

Context

Wetlands like the Pallikaranai marsh act as crucial natural drainage systems and help prevent urban flooding in cities like Chennai. Buffer zones are meant to protect these fragile ecosystems from the negative impacts of nearby real estate and urban development. Legal battles between environmental protection bodies and construction firms frequently center on how large these protected zones should be.