Is Wetland Authority accountable to government or construction companies, asks Anbumani

PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Tuesday criticised the Tamil Nadu government on the delay in notifying the Pallikaranai marshland as a wetland and demanded that all wetlands in the State be notified.

In a statement, he said the Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority (TNSWA) had informed the Madras High Court that the extent of the buffer zone (Zone of Influence) around the Pallikaranai marshland had been reduced to 316 acres. “The Wetland Authority has been refusing to notify wetlands, including Pallikaranai, but its speed in reducing the buffer zone apparently to ensure that construction companies do not suffer any business losses raises a serious question: is the Authority working for the Government or for construction companies?”