CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Thursday asked the Tamil Nadu government to file a report
within two weeks on the proposal to designate 13 wetlands in the state as Ramsar sites and reasons for delay in approving the proposal.
The order came after Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority told the court that 13 places have been identified for declaration as Ramsar sites and the proposal is awaiting the nod of Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
Additional Advocate General (AAG) J Ravindran, who made the submission before the first bench of Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy, in a suo motu case hearing said, "Principal Secretary of Environment, Climate Change and Forests Department of Tamil Nadu government submitted 13 potential wetlands of international significance to the MoEFCC for designation as Ramsar sites to promote wise use of wetlands for creating more livelihood opportunities for local communities."
The sites could not be notified under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, as draft notifications are awaiting the Centre’s approval, the AAG said, quoting a status report. Once approved, the draft will be placed for public consultation before it is finalized, he said.
Senior counsel PS Raman, who was appointed as amicus curiae by the court, said that currently Point Calimere is the only site that has been declared as Ramsar site in Tamil Nadu while recommendations have been made to notify Pallikaranai Marshland and Kazhuveli wetland located on East Coast Road in Villupuram district as Ramsar sites.
The amicus curiae said that only if the sites are notified, the restrictive clauses on prohibited activities could be enforced to save the area. He also requested the court to issue orders to prevent rampant shrimp farming at Kazhuveli. Referring to Pallikaranai Marshland, the TN Wetland Authority said a separate
authority was constituted to protect the area and proposal for declaration as Ramsar site was submitted to MoEFCC and steps were being taken to expedite the draft notification for 32 natural wetlands located in and around Pallikaranai Marshland.
As far as Kazhuveli wetland is concerned, licence for shrimp farming was not given for the last two years and an extent of 5151.60 hectares have been declared as birds sanctuary in December last year. As per the status report, the State government has launched the Tamil Nadu Wetland Mission (TNWM) on August, 2021, for restoration of 100 wetlands over a period of five years.