CHENNAI: The Tiruvallur district administration has initiated steps to demolish an alleged illegal luxury beach resort constructed at Karungali village in Pulicat, following a final order issued by the Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority (TNSCZMA) under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
District Collector M Prathap told TNIE that the construction would be pursued as an encroachment and action would be taken as per procedure. “The block development officer will issue a show-cause notice and 15 days’ time will be given for reply. Based on that, further action will be taken,” he said.
The issue was taken up at the Tiruvallur District Coastal Zone Management Authority (DCZMA) meeting held on February 19 at the collectorate. The illegality was exposed by TNIE in an article published in 2024. The DCZMA, headed by the collector, is mandated to monitor CRZ violations and recommend enforcement measures.
According to official records, the TNSCZMA has issued a final order against unauthorised constructions put up by Sailesh Unnithan at Karungali. The violator has been directed to remove the unauthorised construction and restore the site in compliance with the Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016.
The order specifically instructed the Ponneri sub-collector and district environmental engineer (DEE), Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), Gummidipoondi, to ensure removal of the encroachment and submit a compliance report before February 15. However, during an inspection by the DEE on February 13, it was found that the encroachment had not yet been removed.
The violator reportedly informed officials that power supply had been disconnected by Tangedco and that a temporary electricity connection was pending. He stated that demolition would be carried out within two to three days.
The resort site, allegedly spread across nearly six hectares, falls under CRZ-III as per the CRZ Notification, 2011, where the first 200m from the High Tide Line is designated as a No Development Zone (NDZ), where commercial constructions are prohibited.
Durai Mahendran, general secretary of the Tiruvallur District Traditional United Fishermen Association, said, “We had raised this issue months ago. This is clearly a violation of CRZ norms. Even temporary structures are not permitted in NDZ, but here a luxury resort has come up almost on the shoreline.”