PMK warns of protests if Pallikaranai marshland construction continues

PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Friday voiced strong opposition to the ongoing construction of a three-kilometre-long compound wall and a walkway on the Pallikaranai Marshland, part of the 'Neithal Restoration and Conservation Work'. He urged the Tamil Nadu government to immediately stop the work, dismantle the structures already built, and restore the affected areas. If these demands are not met, he warned, the PMK would launch massive protests.

Ramadoss criticised the TVK government for continuing a project initiated by the previous DMK administration, arguing that the construction would obstruct the natural flow of water and lead to flooding in the region. He stressed that two urgent measures are needed to restore the marshland: removal of encroachments and official demarcation and notification of its boundaries.

He pointed out that the marshland has shrunk from 15,000 acres to just 1,750 acres today. Instead of addressing encroachments, the government is itself encroaching by building a 3-km-long, 6-foot-high retaining wall and a 2-km-long walkway inside it. Both structures, he said, block the natural water flow, preventing rainwater from Chennai and surrounding areas from entering the marshland, which could cause waterlogging and flooding.