As one enters the ELCOT Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Sholinganallur and travels 1.5 km on the straight road and exits through its back gate, there stands a building of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department.
Early in the morning on Wednesday last week, a group of around 25 people gathered near this building for a walk organised by the Care Earth Trust (CET). The modest building, which stands in contrast to the high-rise buildings of multinational companies in the SEZ, is the office of the Conservation Authority of Pallikaranai Marshland.
The group was gearing up for a walk through the Pallikaranai marshland, or to be precise, what’s left of it after rapid urbanisation destroyed a majority of this crucial wetland system.
