The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has formally stopped granting building plan approvals in and around the ecologically sensitive Pallikaranai marshland, acting on a recent directive from the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
In a circular, the CMDA’s Master Plan Unit (MPU) reiterated that no new construction permits will be sanctioned within the Ramsar-recognised wetland and a one-kilometre buffer zone surrounding it.
Local bodies have also been instructed to strictly comply with the NGT’s order and the CMDA’s directions to ensure the protection of the marsh.
The action follows the NGT’s September 24 ruling, delivered by judicial member Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Prashant Gargava, which temporarily banned all building activities within one kilometre of the Pallikaranai marsh until a detailed scientific study maps the wetland’s full “zone of influence”.
The Tribunal acted on its own after media reports highlighted the laying of a road using construction debris inside the Perumbakkam portion of the marsh.
The new restrictions cover parts of Puzhuthivakkam, Madipakkam, Kulathur, Pallikaranai, Jalladianpet, Perumbakkam, Arasankalani, Semmancheri, Sholinganallur, Karapakkam, Injambakkam, Okkiyam Thoraipakkam, Seevaram, Perungudi, and Velachery — all now effectively off-limits for fresh building permits.
The CMDA told the Tribunal that past approvals were based on official revenue records that classified the land as private patta within a “primary residential use zone”.
It also clarified that no clear demarcation of marshland was included in the current Second Master Plan.
However, the authority said it is awaiting precise survey data from the Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority (TNSWA) to integrate Ramsar boundaries into the upcoming Third Master Plan, now in its final stages. TNSWA surveys last year found debris dumping just 150 metres from the Ramsar boundary and warned that altering natural stormwater channels could worsen flooding in surrounding neighbourhoods.
A study by Care Earth Trust earlier recommended a full one-kilometre buffer to protect the marsh’s hydrology and biodiversity. The NGT has directed the CMDA, the TNSWA, and the state Water Resources Department to coordinate mapping and finalise the protected zone before any further construction approvals are considered. Environmental groups welcomed the move as a critical step to preserve one of south India’s last major urban wetlands.
