Last fortnight saw some interesting statistics emerge from a hearing of the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal. Of the 1,206.59 hectares that the Pallikaranai Marsh is supposed to span, only 749 hectares or 62 per cent remain with the forest department. This edifying statistic was revealed by the Tamil Nadu Government after its two-year long survey of the marshland in response to an order to do so by the Bench. The rest of the revelations did not make for good reading either. The encroached 38 per cent is now occupied by a mix of institutions – public and private, and several housing colonies, apart from the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) which has one of its dumping yards here. The challenge now is to restore the marsh to its original extent.
The Government’s hand – custodian or coloniser?
There are several disturbing takeaways from the report. The first is the way the Government has merrily been allotting the marshland to several of its institutions. The railways for instance has been in occupation of 47 hectares and the Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu is sitting on 163 hectares. The bigger offender is the GCC whose dumping ground occupies 174 hectares. The National Institute of Ocean Technology and the National Institute of Wind Energy are two others.
How is it even possible that the Government, which is supposed to be the custodian of our natural heritage, has been parcelling out the marsh to so many of its own institutions? And how could the Corporation which is after all the apex body when it comes to civic administration treat a wetland as a dump yard?
Encroachment in Pallikaranai Marsh across sectors
The illegal occupation of Pallikaranai by private institutions and real estate developers is yet another troubling aspect. None of these could have happened without the active connivance of the authorities and those in power. That entire information technology parks and large-scale housing colonies have been built on a marshland that comes under the Ramsar Convention shows what scant regard our administration has for internationally accepted safeguards.
Restoring the Pallikaranai Marsh
The greater challenge ahead now is the restoring of the wetland. The Green Tribunal has said that the private institutions will have to move to Siruseri and elsewhere where land is available in plenty and earmarked for such activities. The Government institutions have also been asked to move. Acknowledging that nothing can be done about the railways, it has said that they will have to pay for maintenance.
The GCC has said it will find an alternate space, initiate biomining in the present dump and hand the land over to the Forest Department. It is significant to note here that the GCC is still planning only to identify alternate land for dumping. It does not seem to have any scientific solution for waste disposal as yet. Should a world-class city as it is often claimed Chennai is, be still looking to bury its waste?
Can encroachers be evicted from Pallikaranai Marsh?
A third aspect of the judgement – the wholesale proposed eviction of the housing colonies – is bound to spark protests. And in this we also need to consider that the buyers of those plots probably never knew that they were in the violation of the law. They have been hoodwinked by developers and politicians/bureaucrats who will go scot-free in all probability. There is also no compensation likely to be given. Will the Government have the political will to administer such a step as eviction? In all likelihood no. In which case we will have to accept encroachment of the marsh. It is interesting to note that even as the survey was in progress, there were fresh encroachments taking place!
How do we prevent such occurrences in future? Citizen activism seems the only answer.
Our recent article on the subject in ‘Madras Musings’ can be read here
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At last the courts have come to the rescue of Madras Wetlands. The entire Pallikarnai marsh land shud be cleared of encroachments and walkways must be created for morning/evening walkers, a bird sanctuary shud be developed, whatever tree plantation permitted in borders of marshland shud be nurtured and the place shud become hot spot of eco tourism.
Now coming the the encroachments, why can’t the court by one order shift all the govt offices from that place, relocate the dumpyardremove houses whihc are on the main water body area ( even if it is a habitated colony ) and restore the underground water flow.
In Noida, Delhi NCR, one big high rise of Supertech builders was brought down by court order with controlled detonation. In Kochi, one more Highrise tower was recently brought down on court orders, again by controlled detonation by Intl company. If I am correct, the Adarsh Apartment in Mumbai also saw some demolition. If it can happen in other states why shud TN be an exception.If one whole colony gets notice for evacuation then the builders and buyers will both realise. The whole of Kamakoti Nagar(Opp. Jerusalem college) is in Marshland.At least, the the complexes/ plots which are bordering marshland must be immedaitely declared illegal. Till the time the colony gets cleaned up, the House Tax of that area should be at a very high penal level as a deterrent. This should be lesson for any house buyer to check about the environmental clearances of that place. I wonder whether we can book the banks and make them pay huge penalty for giving the housing loans in such colonies knowing that it is Marshland. What is use of spending in CSR on one side and financing such houses to increase one’s Asset Book.
Will the environmentalists, bird enthusiasts,water body conservators,come out in the open along with this City historian MMM( who alone is raising his voice on such issues). Has there ever been a front page converage by News papers on such issues , has there ever been one discussion in any TV channels, One Dharna at Marina. No. Bulls get attention and votes.
Watrbodies, Trees, and birds, heritage reics are dispensible.