Madras High Court Reserves Orders on NGT’s Pallikaranai Construction Ban

The Madras High Court reserved orders on petitions challenging the National Green Tribunal’s ban on new construction within one kilometre of the Pallikaranai marshland in Chennai. The bench did not announce when it would deliver its orders. The petitions were filed by CREDAI-Chennai and others. Pallikaranai is a Ramsar site spread over 1,247.54 hectares. CREDAI-Chennai’s senior counsel said the ban had stopped construction across 3,474 hectares in South Chennai. The court heard arguments from counsel for CREDAI-Chennai and the Tamil Nadu State Wetlands Authority. The judges questioned whether to accept the authority’s proposed, smaller interim Zone of Influence while the Supreme Court considers wetland protection across India The High Court’s orders will address the petitions challenging the NGT’s authority to impose the one-kilometre restriction.