07-07-2025
CRZ violation: TN cracks down on illegal ECR construction
CHENNAI: In a fresh crackdown on Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) violations along Tamil Nadu's East Coast Road (ECR), the state government has issued a stop-work order and show cause notice to two individuals for allegedly constructing a compound wall within the No-Development Zone (NDZ) of CRZ-III, in Kanathur Reddikuppam village of Chengalpattu district.
The action follows a detailed site inspection by officials of the Department of Environment and Climate Change (DoE&CC) and forest range officer, based on a written complaint from the local Kanathur Reddikuppam Meenavar Panchayat Sabai on June 9.
Local fisherman Mahendran Mani told TNIE that a total of 2.5 acres has been compounded, which includes 0.5 acre of kadal poramboke land which is traditionally used for boat parking. 'After groynes were constructed in Kovalam-Muttukadu, the Kanathur coast has experienced severe erosion.
There is hardly any beach left for parking our boats and fishing gear. Now, access has been cut off to our traditional land and we are being threatened for voicing our concerns. The state should immediately demolish the compound wall. Our village has about 130 boats of different sizes,' Mani said.
