CHENNAI: Even as the northeast monsoon approaches, a state-run Tasmac liquor shop has come up inside the Pulicat bird sanctuary, on an illegal construction raised in the middle of a flood channel that is already showing signs of waterlogging after a few sharp spells of rain.
When TNIE visited the spot in Tiruvallur district, the outlet was bustling with customers. Around it, the fragile wetland lay strewn with plastic cups, liquor bottles and other debris. To make matters worse, an unauthorised road has been laid from the main road into the sanctuary to give direct access to the liquor store.
The building stands on land under survey number 55 in Pazhaverkadu revenue village, which has been classified as coastal poramboke land comprising salt marshes and flood channels that naturally hold water during the monsoon.
In 2021, revenue officials carved out a subdivision, 55/2, and issued a patta to a resident, Magimai Raj. The issuance of the patta — long after the Pulicat sanctuary was notified — is in itself questionable. Forest officials initially raised objections when construction began, but later withdrew, allowing the structure on a flood channel.
An official from the Department of Prohibition and Excise said that due process was followed before opening the Tasmac shop. Asked whether NOC had been obtained from the forest department, the official said, “We don’t usually deal with the forest department.
We only see whether there was any school or religious place within 100m. In this case, we are not aware if the building falls within sanctuary limits. The onus is on the building owner who rented us the property.”
Tiruvallur collector M Pratap, when contacted, said he would “look into the matter.”
Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra said that no pattas can be obtained within Pulicat sanctuary since 1980, when the initial notification was issued under Section 18 of the Wildlife Act, 1972. “After the issue of the notification under Section 18, no right shall be acquired in, or over the land comprised within the limits of the area specified.
This is the law, and the same was communicated to the collector last month while settling rights for issuing the final notification for Pulicat sanctuary,” he said. Further, any project inside a sanctuary must first be cleared by the State Board for Wildlife and finally the National Board for Wildlife. None of these mandatory approvals were granted.
Coastal mapping expert K Saravanan said the roots of this illegality also lie in a flawed Coastal Zone Management Plan by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management in 2018. He said an earlier draft prepared by the Institute of Remote Sensing, Anna University, had correctly marked survey no. 55 as a waterbody.
“But in the final plan, the plot was omitted from CRZ, enabling the patta holder to claim ownership. We challenged these omissions before NGT, which stayed public hearings in coastal districts. A fresh revision is ongoing now,” he said.
Assuring action, environment secretary Supriya Sahu and Head of Forest Force Srinivas R Reddy confirmed the matter has been taken up with the district collector.