In a major relief to hundreds of property owners affected by a construction ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) within a radius of one kilometre around the boundaries of Pallikaranai marshland in Chennai, the Tamil Nadu State Wetlands Authority (TNSWA) on Monday (October 12, 2026) came up with an interim Zone of Influence (ZoI) without affecting much of the private patta lands.
Appearing before the first Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan, Additional Advocate General P.V. Balasubramaniam said, the TNSWA had identified land parcels in 36 survey numbers covering an approximate extent of 128.19 hectares which could be declared by the court as interim ZoI until the notification of final ZoI after undertaking an elaborate process.
Senior counsel P.S. Raman, representing the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India’s (CREDAI) Chennai chapter, which was the first among many writ petitioners to approach the court challenging the NGT’s ban, said, the TNSWA had done a commendable job in identifying the interim ZoI within a short span of time and that it was completely acceptable to the real estate developer’s association.
After hearing both the counsel, the judges decided to peruse the TNSWA’s latest report and pass appropriate orders on Wednesday (October 14, 2026). In its report, the TNSWA said, the interim ZoI could cover survey numbers 283 and 284(P) in Enjambakkam village, 175(P), 177 and 189 in Karappakkam village and 407(P) in Okkiyam Thoraipakkam village of Sholinganallur Taluk.
Further, it could cover survey numbers 23(1A,2), 429/3, 431/2(P), 55 (1D2, 1E2, 1F2, 1G2, 2A2, 2B2, 2C2, 2D2), 658/1B, 657 (1A, 3A1, 3A3, 3A4, 3F, 3G, 3H, 3I, 3J, 3K, 4A3), 657/3A5, 688(P), 690(P), 691, 80, 658/1A(P), 657/4C, 657/1B3, 657/1A(P), 657/3A2, 657/3B, 453/2C, 432/1, 430, 429/2, 433, 434/3 and 657/3A3 in Pallikaranai village of Sholinganallur Taluk, the report filed by TNSWA read.
Listing out the other parcels of land which could be made part of the interim ZoI, the authority said, survey numbers 57/1 in Perungudi village in Sholinganallur Taluk; survey numbers 439(P), 507/1, 527, 602/7 and 602/8 in Sholinganallur village of Sholinganallur Taluk and survey numbers 537(P), 542 (P) in Perumpakkam village in Tambaram Taluk could be mentioned in the order of the court.
The TNSWA went on to add that even within the interim ZoI, construction activities need not be banned throughout the entire zone and that it could be regulated based on site specific scientific and hydrological characteristics. It said, there could be a prohibition on blocking, diversion or obstruction of estbalished inlet and outlet channels, natural drains or hydrological pathways in the proposed interim ZoI.
Similarly, dumping of solid waste, construction waste and other waste on the drainage pathways could be prohibited and there could be a prohibition also on discharge of untreated sewage, effluents or wastewater into the watercourses connected with the wetland. Permanent alteration of established hydrological connections could also be banned and red category industries with high pollution potential could be prohibited.
“In case of construction, necessary no objection certificate shall be obtained from the district level wetlands management committee in accordance with the proposed regulatory mechanism. The proposed regulatory framework is intended to ensure that developmental activities do not obstruct the natural flow of water into or out of the Pallikaranai Ramsar site or adversely affect its ecological character together with balancing the development needs of the society and the government,” the TNSWA report read.
It also told the court that the final ZoI shall be determined only after completion of scientific and cadastral exercises and ground truthing in accordance with the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 and the guidelines framed under them.