CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Friday temporarily restrained the Brigade Enterprises Limited from carrying out further constructions in its residential complex project at Perumbakkam, allegedly located on the Pallikaranai marshland — a notified Ramsar site.
The first bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan issued the interim injunction while hearing a PIL plea by advocate Breznev of AIADMK’s legal wing. The petitioner sought the court to quash the planning permission issued by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) for constructing the complex.
The bench observed the construction site appears to be a wetland and further constructions would affect the land. “If any damage is caused to the marshland, it cannot be reversed,” the bench remarked, and directed Brigades Private Ltd not to go ahead with the constructions until the next hearing and adjourned the hearing by three weeks.
Senior counsel V Raghavachari appearing for the petitioner alleged that planning permission was granted without having any concern for the wetland. The builder is going to construct 1,400 tenements in a sprawling 14 acres area and if it’s allowed, it will affect the marshland, he submitted.
Denying the allegations, advocate general PS Raman said malafide allegations are being levelled against the government and informed that the particular site does not fall within the marshland as per the revenue records but is a dry land. However, as per NGT and SC directions, ground truthing is being carried out to identify the extent of marshland, he said.
“About 90% of the ground truthing works are completed. If it reveals that the said site falls under marshland, then they cannot do the construction,” he added.