What happened?

Since 2023, the Forest Department has planted mangroves across more than one hectare along both sides of Kovalam Creek, following the removal of seemai karuvelam from the area. The plantation covers parts of Kundrukadu and Muttukadu, near the Muttukadu bridge.

Around the same period, questions were raised about a building being constructed along one side of the creek. Its compound wall appeared to be just a few metres away from the mangroves. Across the creek, another wall was reportedly in direct contact with, or extremely close to, the mangrove plantation.

Chengalpattu District Forest Officer Girish Haribhau said that a Forest Department team would inspect the site and first verify ownership through Revenue Department records.

Chengalpattu Collector M. Veerappan explained that land adjoining the creek includes a mix of poramboke land, CRZ-designated areas and patta land. He added that officials must determine the classification of the specific parcel on which construction is taking place before deciding what action, if any, should be taken.

Why the Mangrove Area Matters

Tamil Nadu currently follows the CRZ Notification, 2011, pending approval of its revised coastal maps under the 2019 notification.

Under the 2011 rules, CRZ coverage generally includes:

• Land from the High Tide Line up to 500 metres on the landward side along the seafront.
• Along tidal-influenced creeks and other connected waterbodies, land from the High Tide Line up to 100 metres or the width of the creek, whichever is less.

The reported plantation covers more than one hectare—over 10,000 square metres. However, this does not automatically prove that the reported construction falls within the mangrove boundary or its CRZ buffer. Officials must compare the actual site with the approved CRZ map and revenue survey records.

Why a Patta Alone Is Not Enough

A patta is an important revenue record, but it does not automatically provide:

• Conclusive title
• Residential land-use permission
• Layout or building approval
• CRZ clearance
• Protection from waterbody or poramboke overlap
• Confirmation of the physical boundary

Even planning permission does not conclusively establish ownership. Buyers must independently examine the title documents, parent deeds, Encumbrance Certificate and survey records.

This risk is higher near Kovalam Creek because neighbouring parcels can have completely different classifications. One may be patta land, while the next may fall within CRZ, a creek boundary or government poramboke land.

Inspection Still Pending

No authority has yet publicly declared that the reported building violates CRZ rules or occupies government land.

The Forest Department and Revenue Department must first inspect the property and identify its exact survey number, ownership, boundary and CRZ classification.

This verification is important because satellite images, local complaints or visible construction alone cannot conclusively establish a legal violation. The authorities would also need to compare the site with official land records, approved plans and applicable CRZ maps before taking any enforcement action.

Check Whether Your Property Falls in a CRZ Warning Zone

Buyers and landowners can use Verified.RealEstate’s CRZ Zone Check to locate a property and see whether it falls within or close to a mapped CRZ warning zone. This quick preliminary check can identify possible coastal restrictions before purchasing land, applying for approval or starting construction.

If the property is flagged, its survey number must be verified against the approved Coastal Zone Management Plan, High Tide Line, mangrove buffer and official revenue records. The tool provides an initial risk warning—it is not a CRZ clearance, title certificate or building approval.

Get Deeper Coastal-Land Insights with LandLens One

For a more detailed property check, buyers and landowners can use Verified.RealEstate LandLens One with a single click. This interactive map brings together important property indicators and warning layers, helping users identify CRZ exposure and other potential concerns affecting coastal land in a single view. All you need to do is enter the property address or survey number.

Users can also ask Veritas, Verified.RealEstate’s intelligent property assistant, specific questions about the land. Veritas retrieves the available property information relevant to the question and highlights possible risks requiring further verification. When information is unavailable online or requires professional interpretation, it guides the user towards offline assistance from Verified.RealEstate’s experienced legal and real-estate team.

LandLens One provides advanced preliminary property intelligence. Its findings should be confirmed using official records, approved CRZ maps, surveys and professional legal due diligence before purchasing or developing the land.

Disclaimer: This article is based on available government information. The inspection is pending at the time of this publication. This article does not determine the legality, ownership or CRZ status of any particular property.

2024 Status: Progress on One Side, Delays on the Other

In 2024, the OMR–ECR link road was a mix of completed segments, pending land acquisitions, and unapproved designs.

Key Highlights from 2024

• A significant 670-metre stretch on the OMR side was already completed.
• ECR-side progress was slow due to land acquisition issues across nearly 90 private properties, including 58 buildings in Neelankarai and Sholinganallur.
• The project’s original alignment, planned since 2020 at ₹204 crore, faced delays mainly because of CRZ constraints and property disputes.
• No final approval existed for the bridge across the Buckingham Canal — leaving the project half-done.
• Residents and commuters expressed frustration over the long detours via Sholinganallur and Thiruvanmiyur.

In short: 2024 = ambitious design, partial construction, but major bottlenecks.

2025 Status: A Major Breakthrough with the Steel Bridge Approval

By late 2025, the narrative changes significantly with multiple clearances and construction acceleration.

Key Advancements in 2025

• The Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority (TNSCZMA) approved a 6-lane steel bridge over the Buckingham Canal.
• The new steel bridge design reduced the required approach length by ~43 metres, cutting construction time almost by half compared to RCC.
• Steel superstructure allows faster assembly — estimated within 5 months once fabrication begins.
• Around 800 metres on the OMR side were completed, while 600 metres on the ECR side remain.
• Full regulatory clearance means the project can now advance without legal or environmental obstacles.

2025 = moment of acceleration, turning a struggling link into an active, fast-evolving infrastructure network.

TNSCZMA Conditions and Why the Steel Bridge Was Chosen

Under the conditions issued by the TNSCZMA, the Highways Department must adopt strict environmental safeguards while executing the project. This includes applying anti-corrosive protective coatings on all steel components to withstand marine exposure and prevent rusting. The department is also required to conduct regular environmental monitoring—covering water quality, sedimentation levels, and biodiversity health—to ensure the ecological integrity of the Buckingham Canal is not compromised.
Long-term upkeep of both the bridge and the adjoining canal stretch has been mandated to prevent any deterioration of the waterbody’s environmental character.

Why This Project Matters for Chennai

The OMR–ECR Link Road is not just another road project — it is a connectivity multiplier that will:

• Reduce ECR → Airport travel times
• Decongest Sholinganallur junction
• Create a direct route between Chennai’s IT corridor and beachfront residential zones
• Boost real-estate value significantly on both sides

With the bridge now approved and land acquisition nearly complete, Chennai is finally close to seeing this long-delayed project materialise.