TN Acts Against CRZ Violation on ECR; Fisherfolk Allege Loss of Access to Traditional Land

The Tamil Nadu government has issued a stop-work order and show cause notice over an alleged illegal construction within the No-Development Zone (NDZ) of CRZ-III in Kanathur Reddikuppam village, along East Coast Road (ECR), Chengalpattu district. The property is reportedly owned by Sherif Salman and Mugamud Riswan Sherif, residents of Venkateshwara Garden, ECR.

This marks the second CRZ violation along the ECR in recent weeks.

Following a complaint from the Kanathur Reddikuppam Meenavar Panchayat Sabai, a joint inspection by the Department of Environment and Climate Change (DoE\&CC) and forest officials on June 17 confirmed that a 25-metre-long stone boulder wall with concrete foundation was under construction. The site also had construction materials stockpiled and was found to fall within CRZ-III’s NDZ an area where new development is strictly prohibited under the CRZ Notification, 2011.

According to Paragraph 8 (III)(ii) of the notification, only repairs or reconstruction of authorized existing structures or essential facilities for permitted activities are allowed conditions not met in this case.

Fishermen allege that 2.5 acres of land, including 0.5 acre of kadal poramboke land traditionally used for boat parking, has been enclosed. “There’s barely any beach left due to erosion from groyne construction at Kovalam-Muttukadu. Now, even our boat access is blocked,” said Mahendran Mani, a local fisherman, demanding the wall’s demolition. The village is home to about 130 boats.

On June 23, DoE&CC Director A R Rahul Nadh issued a stop-work order, followed by a show cause notice on June 26. This is not unusual for resorts to violate laws, and the management has been asked to respond within 15 days or face action as per Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

The officials had also escalated the matter to the District Coastal Zone Management Authority (DCZMA) for further possible action.

Environmentalists applauded the clampdown and demanded closer vigilance since tourism and real estate projects are threatening this ecologically fragile coastal belt.