Pallikaranai Construction Freeze May Ease: TNSWA Submits New Buffer Plan to Madras High Court

Saranya Manoj — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 10:38:01 +0000

The construction freeze around Pallikaranai Marsh may soon be reviewed. National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) has proposed replacing the blanket 1-km restriction with variable buffers based on local environmental and drainage conditions. However, the freeze remains in force until the Madras High Court and CMDA issue further directions.

Pallikaranai Approval Freeze: A Short Timeline

April 2022: Pallikaranai Marsh was recognised as a Ramsar wetland of international importance.
September 2025: The National Green Tribunal directed authorities to stop new construction approvals within the marsh boundary and a uniform 1-km Zone of Influence.
October 2025: CMDA implemented the direction, freezing approvals across parts of several South Chennai localities.
March 2026: CREDAI Chennai approached the Madras High Court against the blanket restriction.
May 2026: The environmental clearance for Brigade Morgan Heights was revoked. Brigade later challenged the decision.
20 August 2026: TNSWA submitted NCSCM’s proposed variable-width interim buffer map to the Madras High Court.

NCSCM Proposes a Variable Buffer Around Pallikaranai Marsh

A major change may be coming to the construction restrictions surrounding Pallikaranai Marsh.

The Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority has told the Madras High Court that construction inside the marsh’s Zone of Influence can be regulated instead of being completely banned.

The State also submitted an interim Zone of Influence map prepared by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM). Instead of applying the same one-kilometre restriction around the entire marsh, NCSCM has recommended different protection widths based on the actual environmental conditions along each part of the boundary.

NCSCM studied approximately 77.85 km of the Pallikaranai wetland boundary and proposed the following interim zones:

Proposed buffer width	Length of boundary
Zero metres	30.14 km
Zero to 20 metres	16.16 km
20 to 50 metres	3.20 km
50 to 100 metres	3.80 km
More than 100 metres	24.55 km

This means around 46.30 km, or 59.5% of the studied boundary, may require a buffer of no more than 20 metres. However, approximately 24.55 km, or 31.5%, may need a protection zone extending beyond 100 metres.

Why Is the Buffer Different in Each Area?

NCSCM has explained that Pallikaranai is surrounded by a highly developed urban landscape. Buildings and roads already stand close to the marsh in some places, while other stretches contain open land, drainage channels and low-lying areas that continue to support the wetland.

The proposed zone was therefore mapped using factors such as:

Natural drainage routes
Low-lying and flood-storage areas
Ground elevation and slope
Existing buildings and land use
Satellite wetlands
Hydrological and ecological connections with Pallikaranai Marsh

Drainage channels and satellite wetlands directly connected to Pallikaranai have also been included in the proposed protection zone. Therefore, the final restriction affecting a property may depend on its environmental connection to the marsh and not merely its distance from the boundary.

A zero-metre buffer also does not permit construction inside the protected wetland. It only means that an additional protection strip may not be required outside the legally identified boundary along that particular stretch.

CREDAI Seeks Relief as Pallikaranai Freeze Affects Property Owners and Projects

CREDAI Chennai has challenged the uniform one-kilometre restriction, arguing that the affected area should instead be determined using hydrology, drainage, topography, land use and individual survey numbers.

According to CREDAI, the CMDA freeze has affected more than one lakh patta holders across parts of Pallikaranai, Velachery, Perungudi, Perumbakkam, Sholinganallur and nearby areas. Property owners have reportedly faced difficulties obtaining building approvals, completion certificates, redevelopment permissions and housing-loan disbursements.

Separately, Brigade Enterprises has challenged the revocation of environmental clearance for its Brigade Morgan Heights project near Pallikaranai Marsh. It says the clearance was withdrawn without notice or a hearing and that the project is on approved private patta dry land.

The case will depend on the land’s classification, approvals and location relative to the final wetland boundary.

Has the Pallikaranai Construction Freeze Been Lifted?

No. The freeze has not yet been lifted.

⚖The Madras High Court has taken the NCSCM proposal and map on record and given CREDAI and the other parties time to examine them. The case is scheduled to be heard again on 7 September 2026.

Until the court passes a new order and CMDA issues revised instructions, owners and developers should treat the existing approval restriction as continuing.

The NCSCM proposal is nevertheless an important step. For the first time, the court has been given a measurable, site-specific alternative to the disputed uniform one-kilometre restriction.

The NCSCM proposal could provide relief to properties outside scientifically identified protection areas. However, patta ownership or an old CMDA-approved layout alone will not establish that a property is exempt. Its survey number and position in the final wetland and Zone of Influence maps will remain important.

Property owners can use Verified.RealEstate’s Chennai Ramsar Site Finder to conduct an initial location check. A final property decision should also examine the survey number, FMB or TSLR records, land classification, CMDA approval status and the officially accepted Zone of Influence map.