Interim zone of influence around Pallikaranai marshland can be restricted to 36 survey numbers, State Wetlands Authority tells Madras High Court

In a major relief to hundreds of property owners affected by a construction ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) within a radius of one kilometre around the boundaries of Pallikaranai marshland in Chennai, the Tamil Nadu State Wetlands Authority (TNSWA) on Monday (October 12, 2026) came up with an interim Zone of Influence (ZoI) without affecting much of the private patta lands.

Appearing before the first Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan, Additional Advocate General P.V. Balasubramaniam said, the TNSWA had identified land parcels in 36 survey numbers covering an approximate extent of 128.19 hectares which could be declared by the court as interim ZoI until the notification of final ZoI after undertaking an elaborate process.

Senior counsel P.S. Raman, representing the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India’s (CREDAI) Chennai chapter, which was the first among many writ petitioners to approach the court challenging the NGT’s ban, said, the TNSWA had done a commendable job in identifying the interim ZoI within a short span of time and that it was completely acceptable to the real estate developer’s association.