PMK organises signature campaign urging State govt. to notify extent of Pallikaranai marshland

PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss and party floor leader in the Assembly Sowmiya Anbumani on Sunday organised a signature campaign in Pondy Bazaar urging that the State government protect the Pallikaranai marshland and said the marshland should be officially notified by the State government.

Speaking during the campaign, Dr. Anbumani criticised former DMK minister P.K. Sekarbabu, who was in-charge of the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, for not playing the crucial role of being the watchdog in the State for real estate development.

He said, “CM Vijay must intervene directly in this matter. The marshland must be demarcated and officially notified. Every day, 5,000 tonnes of garbage are dumped and burnt in the marshland. Construction companies are instigating people living there. They make them claim that they have no land titles and that they are middle-class families, using them as part of a conspiracy. There is no need for protests over this issue. Once the marshland is properly demarcated and officially notified, it cannot be encroached upon.”

‘Water crisis’

Ms. Sowmiya said, “The reason this issue has become so important today is the water crisis. Chennai is a huge city with a population of nearly ten million people. We cannot drink the water of the Cooum River. Despite having three rivers, Chennai has no usable water. There are no lakes or ponds left in Chennai. The government itself has built residential colonies on lands where lakes and ponds once existed. The marshland is the sponge that absorbs rainwater. Only if the marshland exists will groundwater be available. If water is to flow when we open our taps, the marshland must be protected. Otherwise, south Chennai will become barren.”