The southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority (TNSCZMA) to resurvey the Kosasthalaiyar river in Ennore, Chennai, noting that the draft coastal zone plan released last year, was not in compliance with an earlier judgment passed by the tribunal.
A complaint filed by P. Mahendran pointed out that the draft Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) has omitted a lot of ecologically-sensitive zone areas including reducing the stretch of the Kosasthalaiyar river and leaving out most of the sand dunes, salt marshes and other ecologically-sensitive areas in order to accommodate development activities encroaching on to the coastal zone.
As per the applicant, the 1996 CZMP shows a larger area, but considerable reduction was made the following year, when the State coastal zone authorities brought out another plan, which was purportedly not approved by the Central government.
