The forest department has stopped construction at the Pulicat bird sanctuary
The forest department has urged the Tiruvallur district government to revoke the patta, which was granted after a contentious reclassification, and has stopped the construction of the “unauthorised” structure within the Pulicat bird sanctuary.
The move was made the day after TNIE reported on how Ponneri revenue authorities, fully knowing that the area is located inside the Pulicat bird sanctuary, granted patta (land ownership) to a person in 2021.
Chief wildlife warden Srinivas R Reddy confirmed the situation to TNIE, saying, “We have stopped the work and will be sending a formal communication to Tiruvallur district collector to cancel the patta.” The collector and the jurisdictional district forest officer are scheduled to meet on Wednesday.
Reddy said that no decision had been made about the demolition of the unlawful construction and that the revenue authorities had erred in granting patta for property that was under a bird sanctuary. The patta paperwork for 2.45 acres of land within the sanctuary was issued by Ponneri tax authorities. The disputed region is located in survey number 55, which was split into two subdivisions in 2021 after being identified in revenue records as coastal poramboke property. The territory in 55/1 remains poramboke land, however 55/2 received patta.
The construction was clearly rising in the center of the flood channel, which had totally dried out since this summer. During the wet season, floodwaters would fill the area. The survey number had no further construction. According to K Saravanan, a leader in the fishing community and member of the Coastal Resource Center, many coastal wetlands that lie beyond the Pulicat bird sanctuary’s boundaries are vulnerable to exploitation. “The government needs to make sure these wetlands, which draw a lot of birds and are a source of income for hundreds of fishermen, are protected. The government is currently working to issue the final notification of the Pulicat bird sanctuary.”
