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Residents Challenge Corporation’s Ambitious Plan To Create Ecopark In Pallikaranai Marsh

The Commune

The Greater Chennai Corporation is planning to establish an eco-park in the Pallikaranai Marsh, inspired by the Adyar Creek model and incorporating waste-processing facilities. The Corporation aims to create an eco-park and modern waste treatment facilities on the reclaimed land, emphasizing waste management, biodiversity conservation, and flood mitigation. The waste-processing facilities are designed to convert both dry and wet waste into resources, aligning with the circular economy concept.

Nevertheless, the suggestion to create an eco-park at the Perungudi dump yard encountered substantial resistance at a recent stakeholder meeting, where residents raised apprehensions about the Chennai Corporation’s strategy which is currently engaged in bio-mining to tackle historical waste, the corporation intends to reclaim approximately 100 acres for the eco-park. However, residents are contesting these initiatives, expressing concerns over potential detrimental effects on the marsh.

The public hearing, initially scheduled under the chairmanship of Chennai Mayor R Priya, south Chennai DMK MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian, and Corporation Commissioner J Radhakrishnan, took place on 5 February 2024 by the civic body resumed with the three of them absent. Instead, Joint Commissioner of Health Department Shankar Lal Kumawat chaired the hearing in the company of Sholinganallur MLA Aravind Ramesh and Perungudi zone Chairman SV Ravichandran.

The proposed 93-acre eco-park with ponds, costing ₹99 crores, drew opposition, alleging that the dumpyard is on marshland. While officials argued it’s part of a larger plan to restore the marshland, residents, including environment auditors, criticized the lack of ecological expert input in the presentation and concerns were raised about the park altering the wetland’s nature, and residents urged adherence to Ramsar site standards for marshland conservation. Despite public opposition, Aravind Ramesh sought inputs in favor of the proposal, but none were provided.

During the meeting, a resident questioned, “Where is the mayor and the commissioner? Firstly, it has been advertised in the press that the mayor and commissioner will come. Secondly, you cannot decide yourself and ask us, sir. Whether in Pallikaranai it should be marshland or park should be decided by us, not you, because the High Court has ordered on 1st February that Marshland should not be changed. How are you proceeding with this? The main reason for the flood in Chennai is that the marshland was not properly protected.”

DMK Perungudi zone Chairman and ward councilor SV Ravichandran responded, “Don’t expect us to tell you all of your wisdom; if you have to, we have given a form, write it down. To speak to sir, we should give everyone a chance; we’re not saying no to opinions, we’re saying give everyone a chance.”

He further said, “Sir, firstly, the park is not constructed in the marshland; it is coming at the dump yard, by removing the waste, the park is coming. Then later, he said, “First, see the demo, then tell your opinion.”

A woman resident said, “We have been petitioning this problem for five years; dig all the lake and connect. Naturally In all lakes, if there is no inlet and outlet, drenches in Pallikaranai Lake, enter via Perumbakkam Marsh and reach Pallikaranai wetland. But as you reduce the capacity, people like us live in Sisuseri, Navalur, Thalambur, and all communities on that side; how many high-rise buildings are you constructing? Every year for two months, one week, or ten days, we all are going out. You’ve decided to reduce the capacity because you are staying in the city, dumping the waste, but our wastes are dumped somewhere else. If you think we cannot reduce dumping the waste or else if there is a process only by converting a forest into marshland give two months some house because year after year the well-off stay in hotels and the poor stay in shelters, nearby there are two nagars ezhil muga nagar and Jawahar Nagar. They went out with only neck length. This is happening in November and December, and we are tired of petitioning the Chengalpattu Collector. You can turn a swamp into a swamp without turning it into a forest, go to San Francisco; they’re restoring swamps all over the world. Even UNEP states that wetlands can absorb more carbon than any forest, so without converting into a forest, you ecologist, please go and study the technology. Our lives and possessions are with you. We don’t need any park; we need a protected life and possessions.”

Later DMK MLA Aravind Ramesh said, “You should not impose your own personal opinions; If an official has come we should listen and understand the general knowledge of what he is saying.”

Another resident who introduced himself as an ecologist said, “You say that you will dig a pond in a marshy land, what a stupid piece of crap, ponds are dug out for land. You declare that as an eco-park and lay a concrete walkway for entry, you use the rubbish then Korean grass on it and ask us not to walk on that. Compared to Vedanthangal, Pallikaranai has more species of birds; how can we occupy that habitat? “All your projects are more human-centric not nature-centric.”

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