Residents of 13 revenue villages within the Pulicat Bird Sanctuary are worried about their livelihood as the Tamil Nadu government has announced its plan to denotify 300.17 hectares of land within the sanctuary.
The government is undertaking the long overdue exercise to determine the final boundary of the Pulicat Bird Sanctuary under provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act. The Act mandates the settlement of claims of rights by a person in or over the land within the limits of the sanctuary.
On 29 February 2024, Tiruvallur District Collector told residents of 13 revenue villages in the Pulicat Bird Sanctuary to submit a written claim for the land in the prescribed form within two months as the government plans to determine the sanctuary limit. The re-notification order came after the recommendation of the Standing Committee of the National Wild Life Board in their 77th Meeting to proceed with final notification and determine the boundary of the Pulicat Bird Sanctuary.
In 1980, these 13 revenue villages -- Pulicat, Kanvanthurai, Pakkam, Avurivakkam, Sirulapakkam, Annamalaicheri, Kallur-Sirumurkuppam, Keerapakkam, Mangodu, Poongulam, Opasathiram, Sunnambukulam, and Medipalayam -- were included as part of the sanctuary. The first step to denotify the sanctuary involves the settlement of individual and community claims of these villagers under the Wildlife Protection Act. After the release of the final notification, the current 10 km buffer would not exist and the ESZ would be declared based on the sanctuary boundary.
District Collector along with forest officials convened a meeting on March 7 at the district collectorate for people from all 13 revenue villages. Several villagers requested the Collector to settle their claims without de-notifying the sanctuary limits. The Collector assured the villagers that no one will be evicted and the decision on their claims will taken in consultation with the claimants and the Chief Wildlife Warden.
Dr. Srinivasa Reddy, Chief Wild Life Warden told LCW, ”After the re-notification, the process of the settlement of claims will rest with the Collector. Only after consulting the villagers, the Collector will hold a consultation with me. In this case, the government cannot easily acquire patta lands of the people in 13 villages and displace them. People will be allowed to exercise their rights over the land and those patta lands will have to be denotified”.
Environmentalists and local fishermen have questioned the move stating that it would clear major hurdles for the controversial Adani-Kattupalli port expansion whose northern boundary will fall outside the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) when the Pulicat bird sanctuary area is reduced. It may exempt the project from needing clearance from the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL). The government also plans to develop an Industrial Park with Industrial Housing Facility at Soorapoondi and Vaniamallee villages, Gummidipoondi Taluk, Thiruvallur District, just 5 kilometres away from the sanctuary.
Locals have been voicing concerns against the expansion of Kattupalli Port because of its potential threat to the bird sanctuary and the proposed acquisition of hundreds of acres of wetlands.
They also fear that the move will facilitate further industrial expansion of Ponneri Industrial node, which is already part of Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor project, Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial corridor, Adani port expansion and SIPCOT industrial park proposal.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand for legal recognition of land rights
Opposition against environmental degradation
Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand to settle claims of villagers in 13 revenue villages located inside the Pulicat Bird Sanctuary.
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Common
Non-Forest (Grazing Land), Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Agricultural land, Residential area, Other Natural Resource extraction/dependence, Religious/Sacred/Cultural value, Fishing
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
Type of investment:
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
Yes
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Lack of legal protection over land rights
Violation of environmental laws
Non-consultation with stakeholders
Legal Status:
Out of Court
Status of Case In Court
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
No
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Case Number
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
No
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Thiruvallur District Collector, National Wild Life Board, Chief Wild Life Warden, Tamil Nadu Department of Forest
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Yes
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Srinivas Reddy, Chief Wildlife Warden of Tamil Nadu: ”After the re-notification, the process of the settlement of claims will rest with the Collector. Only after consulting the villagers, the Collector will hold a consultation with me. In this case, the government cannot easily acquire patta lands of the people in 13 villages and displace them. People will be allowed to exercise their rights over the land and those patta lands will have to be denotified”. [Mention the comments here]
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Yes
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
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