CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) passed a resolution during its council meeting on Thursday to withdraw its proposal to construct an eco-park on the 93 acres of land reclaimed at the Perungudi dump yard.
The eco-park, one of the 58 announcements made by minister K N Nehru at the Assembly last year, received strong public backlash during a stakeholder meeting on February 5. However, the corporation said, other waste management projects, including a mega Bio-CNG plant, composting plant, and Material Recovery Facilities, will continue in the area.
The residents of Perungudi said that they were relieved by GCC’s decision to drop the eco-park following their protests.
P Sajeevan (42) from Perungudi said that Kamarajar Nagar and the surrounding areas are on an elevated terrain, due to which rainwater from the overflowing Perungudi lake enters the dumping ground. “If the eco-park were to be constructed at the spot, the wetland, instead of absorbing the water, would cause a reverse flow, potentially affecting the residents of these areas,” he said. Further, he urged the civic body to focus only on reclaiming the Perungudi landfill.
In July 2021, the GCC sought a detailed feasibility report (DFR) from Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Limited (TNUIFSL) for the `99-crore eco-park, part of a four-package development project on the reclaimed site. However, residents and environmentalists opposed the project, raising concerns about its location within the Pallikaranai Marshland, a designated Ramsar site. They argued that the park would alter the nature of the wetlands.
An expert committee from the TNUIFSL recommended that GCC seek approval from the Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority (TNSWA) due to the ecological sensitivity of the site. During discussions, the TNSWA advised the corporation to focus on waste processing facilities rather than recreational projects.
Earlier this year, the NGT had directed the corporation to restore the marshland and construct the eco-park elsewhere. The GCC resolution stated that the DFR, reviewed by expert committees and stakeholders, is under way for the remaining projects.
