7 months ago
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The Tamil Nadu authorities connected Tuesday denied allegations that biology clearance and program support were illegally granted for a multi-storeyed gathering task wrong the Pallikaranai marshland, a designated Ramsar Site since 2022. It said the onshore successful question falls extracurricular the notified reserve wood country and the delineation of the Ramsar Site boundaries was yet to beryllium finalised.
In a statement, the Environment, Climate Change and Forest Department, said the Pallikaranai portion comprises 3 chiseled classifications — the reserve forest, the Ramsar Site, and the wetland — and that these presumption cannot beryllium utilized interchangeably. An grade of astir 698 hectares successful the country has been notified arsenic the Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest nether the Tamil Nadu Forest Act, 1882, and nary operation permissions person been granted wrong this protected area.
The Ramsar Site includes the existing 698 hectares of the reserve wood and an further 550 hectares yet to beryllium delineated done a ineligible process. The “ground truthing” to place circumstantial survey numbers and boundaries has not been completed. The survey numbers mentioned successful media reports and the complaint, the authorities said, pertained to backstage patta lands arsenic per gross records.
The clarification comes aft the non-governmental organisation, Arappor Iyakkam, precocious alleged amerciable biology clearance and program support were issued for the Brigade Morgan Heights task successful Perumbakkam, claiming it fell wrong the Ramsar Site bound and could summation hazard of floods successful the area.
The authorities besides said the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) had been entrusted with delineating the tract boundaries, preparing an Integrated Management Plan, and conducting field-based mapping of the country since November 2024.
Quoting the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, the Department said Ramsar Sites should beryllium formally notified done a process involving nationalist consultation and notification of precise survey boundaries. This process, it said, was inactive nether mode and would lone instrumentality effect aft the delineation and notification were completed.
“Since the notification of the tract arsenic per the Wetland Rules is yet to beryllium finalised and the survey numbers mentioned successful the petition are patta lands, the allegations mentioned successful the paper articles are not correct,” the connection said.
The section said approvals had been granted lone for lands extracurricular the existing Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest boundaries, and that nary violations of biology oregon wood regulations had occurred. The authorities reiterated that the Ramsar Site’s boundaries would travel into unit lone aft the ongoing delineation and nationalist consultation process were completed.
