Chennai Ramsar zone
BJP Tamil Nadu has written a letter to Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, with a copy marked to Secretary Tanmay Kumar, requesting an investigation and revocation of the illegal environmental clearance and building permissions granted for the Brigade Morgan Heights project within the Pallikaranai Ramsar Wetland Site, Chennai, Tamil Nadu — alleging administrative irregularities and violations of the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017.
TN BJP spokesperson A.N.S. Prasad, in the letter, said, “I am writing as a concerned citizen and environmental activist to bring to your immediate attention a grave case of alleged corruption and ecological violation concerning the Brigade Morgan Heights housing project by Brigade Enterprises Limited in Perumbakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. This Rs 2,000-crore development, comprising 1,250 residential units across 14.7 acres on survey numbers 453, 495/2C, 496, 497, and 498, has been illegally approved despite lying within the boundaries of the ecologically sensitive Pallikaranai Ramsar Wetland Site, notified in April 2022 under the Ramsar Convention.”
He said, “The site spans 3,081 acres, with 1,705 acres under the State Forest Department’s management, and prohibits any permanent construction or non-wetland use as per the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017. Anti-corruption NGO Arappor Iyakkam filed a detailed 213-page complaint on 23 October 2025 to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK StalinCM, Chief Secretary, and Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), accusing the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), Forest Department, and Water Resources Department of collusion in granting approvals.”
Prasad further stated, “The project proponent falsely claimed the site was 1.2 km from the marshland, whereas it abuts survey number 534/4, a documented marsh parcel. During SEAC’s 411th meeting on 27 September 2023, the site was recorded as ‘abutting’ the Ramsar area, leading to a deferral for boundary coordinates and proximity mitigation details. Yet SEIAA granted Environmental Clearance (File No. 9462) on 20 January 2025, ignoring these. The Forest Department misleadingly reported a 65-metre separation via an unnamed revenue parcel, evading scrutiny.”
Tracing the historical land manipulation, he said, “Post-1911 records show survey number 430 (marshland) was fraudulently subdivided to 546, shrinking its extent from 643.9 acres to 6.1 acres by 1993, enabling encroachments. The implicated survey numbers are confirmed within Ramsar boundaries as per Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority maps and CMDA influence zones.”
Highlighting the post-approval contradictions, he noted, “CMDA issued building permission on 23 January 2025, just days after the Environmental Clearance, despite its own Office Order 7/2025 (dated 9 September 2025) prohibiting approvals within the Ramsar site and 1-km buffer. The Environment and Housing Secretaries, as State Wetland Authority members, cannot claim ignorance of the 2022 notification. The project is also listed on TN RERA without addressing these violations. This collusion exacerbates flood risks in Chennai, as Pallikaranai serves as a critical natural sponge, and contravenes the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, EIA Notification, 2006, and international Ramsar obligations. Brigade Enterprises claims compliance with a ‘detailed site assessment’, but evidence suggests otherwise.”
Concluding his letter, Prasad urged the ministry and the CPCB to “initiate an immediate, time-bound investigation under Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, into SEIAA, CMDA, and other departments’ roles, including DVAC coordination for corruption probes. He also sought the revocation of the Environmental Clearance and building permissions, with a halt to all site activities, besides enforcing reclamation and restoration of the encroached wetland portions to prevent irreversible ecological damage.”
The letter also urged imposing penalties on Brigade Enterprises for misrepresentation and ensuring no further approvals in Ramsar zones, “so that all the irregularities, corruption, legal violations, and truths that have occurred will come to light.” Prasad tagged Arappor Iyakkam’s complaint, SEIAA minutes, Ramsar maps, and relevant news reports, and concluded,
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