The Madras High Court on Tuesday clarified that the ban imposed by a Full Bench of the court on conversion of water bodies for any other purposes would also equally apply to wetlands. In our view, the approach on water bodies would also equally have to be applied keeping in mind the problem of conversion of wetland areas for urbanisation, the First Bench of Chief Justice S.K. Kaul and Justice R. Mahadevan said while referring to the Full Bench order. The Bench made the clarification on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition moved by S.D. Premchand, former Chairman of Maduranthakam Municipality, Kancheepuram district. According to the petitioner, conversion of wetlands for urbanisation had led to manifold problems and it remained unchecked without any planning by the authorities. Citing reports, he said that while in 1980, as much as 80 per cent of Greater Chennai comprised of wetlands, now only 15 per cent of wetlands remained due to unplanned urbanisation. The State government has made it mandatory to get the approval from the District Collector for utilising the wetlands for any other purpose from January 1, 2011 by amending the Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning Act, 1971. But the rule is violated by the owners by intentionally letting the lands to fallow for years and later claim it to be a dry land and seek conversion, the petitioner alleged. Listing out a few suggestions, including banning conversion of wetlands adjoining water bodies and water ways, the petitioner prayed the court to direct the government to bring in suitable amendments to the Act. The Bench called upon the State government to look into the suggestions.
2016, The Hindu