Madras High Court to examine NGT’s construction ban on 1 km radius around Pallikaranai marshland on August 3
The Madras High Court is set to review a controversial NGT order that banned construction within a one-kilometer radius of the Pallikaranai marshland. The CMDA argues that the ban is impractical as the area is already densely populated and largely developed.
Why it matters
The case balances environmental conservation efforts against the practical realities of urban development and property rights in a major metropolitan area.
The Madras High Court on Wednesday (July 15, 2206) decided to take up for final hearing on August 3, 2026, a case questioning the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) authority to impose a blanket ban on constructions within a radius of one kilometre from the boundaries of Pallikaranai marshland , a Ramsar site.
Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan accepted a request made by senior counsel P.S. Raman, representing CREDAI-Chennai Chapter, for an early hearing of the case since it involved a ban on constructions on 3,474 hectares (8,584.44 acres) in Chennai city.
He said, the NGT’s order had affected thousands of landowners in Puzhuthivakkam, Madipakkam, S. Kolathur, Pallikaranai, Jalladianpet, Perumbakkam, Arasankalani, Semmancheri, Sholinganallur, Karapakkam, Injambakkam, Okkiyam Thoraipakkam, Seevaram, Perungudi, and Velachery.
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