The southern bench of the National Green Tribunal has appointed a joint committee to ascertain if the area where two fishing harbours have been proposed by the State Fisheries Department will have any impact on the Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary in Villupuram, and whether the area has been notified as an Olive Ridley Turtle nesting site.
The case pertains to the proposal to set up fishing harbours in Alamparaikuppam village in Chengalpet district and Azhagankuppam village in Villupuram district, having a capacity of 12,000 tonnes each per annum, on either side of the estuary.
The bench directed the committee to ascertain whether the area is rich in biological diversity, including mudflats, seagrass beds, sand dunes and salt marshes, among others, and to determine the conditions to be imposed to mitigate the impact on these eco-sensitive zones, even if the project was permissible.
