Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], October 26 : AIADMK General Secretary and Leader of the Opposition in Tamil Nadu Assembly, Edappadi K Palaniswami, on Sunday launched a scathing attack against the DMK government for permitting large-scale encroachment and illegal construction in Chennai's Pallikaranai marshlands, said a release.
According to the release, EPS pointed out that the AIADMK government, when in power, had already approved a Rs 16 crore project to restore the Pallikaranai marshland, one of Chennai's most vital flood buffers and ecological zones. Under the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change, the Central Government sanctioned Rs 165.68 crore for the "Pallikaranai Eco-Recovery Project" to protect and rejuvenate 695 hectares of wetland between 2018 and 2019.
According to the press release, the wetland was recognised under the Ramsar Convention, which strictly prohibits any construction within or within one kilometre of its boundary.
Despite these protections, EPS said, the DMK government has now given permission to a private builder, the Brigade Group, to construct around 1,250 houses on 15 acres of the Pallikaranai marshland, at an estimated project cost of Rs 2,000 crore.
The AIADMK leader claimed that the decision is in violation of the Ramsar norms and the directions of the National Green Tribunal, which had reiterated on October 6 that no construction activity should be permitted within the notified wetland zone.
"Wetlands and marshlands are the lungs of our cities and the lifeline of our environment. How can a government that talks of climate action destroy the very ecosystem that protects Chennai from floods?" EPS asked.
He added that experts have warned that constructing high-rise buildings on swampy land, even with modern technology, is unsafe and unsustainable, as their foundations and stability cannot withstand heavy rainfall or flooding.
"By allowing such projects, the DMK government is playing with the lives of thousands of Chennai residents," EPS said.
EPS questioned the mystery behind the approvals granted by the Forest, Revenue, and Environment Departments and demanded that the government clarify whether corruption and kickbacks were involved in permitting this destructive project.
"Are reports that billions of rupees exchanged hands in this deal true? The DMK government owes the people an answer," he declared.
EPS warned that such reckless actions will endanger the city's flood safety and biodiversity.
He alleged that the DMK government has continued its legacy of confiscating land and misusing government resources for private gain.
According to the press release, during the DMK's earlier tenure from 2006 to 2011, large tracts of land were seized from innocent citizens. When the AIADMK government came to power in 2011, a special Land Grabbing Cell was established in the Tamil Nadu Police Department to investigate these crimes and recover properties worth several crores from the victims' complaints.
However, after returning to power in 2021, EPS said, the DMK government has once again enabled proxy companies and private developers to grab land and extract bribes worth crores of rupees, and this time at the cost of Chennai's environment and public safety, the press release stated.