In October 2025, a non-governmental organisation, Arappor Iyakkam, alleged that illegal environmental clearance and approval were granted to a multi-storeyed housing complex project within the Pallikaranai marshland, which was recognised as a Ramsar site.

Jayaram Venkatesan, the NGO’s convenor, said that 14.7 acres of land in Perumbakkam were allotted for the Brigade Morgan Heights project by Brigade Enterprises Limited. Under the project, estimated to cost Rs 2,000 crore, 1,250 housing units is expected to be built on land at survey numbers - 453, 495/2c, 496,497 and 498 - in Perumbakkam. Venkatesan alleged that the land falls within the Ramsar site boundary of the Pallikaranai marshland as per the map of the State Wetland Authority of Tamil Nadu. The NGO also submitted a detailed complaint to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), seeking accountability for gross violation of the Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, that restricted permanent construction activities.

The Pallikaranai marshland is one of Chennai’s last remaining natural wetlands. Initially, the marshland spanned over 6,000 hectares but it has now been reduced to 660 hectares due to encroachment, mostly by government-sanctioned development projects such as the Perungudi dumpyard and Sholinganallur ELCOT. In July 2022, 1,247 hectares of this marshland, which attracts migratory birds from October to March, was declared as Wetlands of International Importance or Ramsar sites. However, 556 hectares has already been taken over by various private and government entities.

The NGO demanded an investigation into officials of the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), the State Forest Department, the State Level Expert Appraisal Committee, and the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SLEIAA) responsible for assessing environmental clearance applications. Brigade submitted a project proposal to the member secretary of SEIAA in July 2022 for its Brigade Morgan Heights project and applied for environmental clearance in August 2023. The builder later sought construction plan approval from the CMDA in February 2024. According to Arappor, Brigade Enterprises failed to declare in its application that this land is designated as a Ramsar site. The company allegedly falsely stated that the project site is 1.28 km from the Pallikaranai wetlands when it actually adjoins the marshland.

The Tamil Nadu government, however, said the land in question falls outside the notified reserve forest area and the delineation of the Ramsar Site boundaries was yet to be finalised. It further clarified that the Pallikaranai region is composed of 698 hectares of reserve forest, 1,247 hectares of Ramsar Site, which includes the reserve forest and the wetland. The Environment, Climate Change and Forest Department said approvals had been granted only for lands outside the existing Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest boundaries, and that no violations of environmental or forest regulations had occurred. The government reiterated that the Ramsar site’s boundaries would come into force after the ongoing delineation and public consultation process were completed.

Meanwhile, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)’s Chennai legal wing district secretary, J Brezhnev, filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in Madras High Court regarding the same. He alleged that the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) had illegally granted permission for the project within the ecologically sensitive marshland area. On 31 October 2025, the High Court stayed the construction of the Brigade Morgan Heights project. The bench also expressed concern over CMDA granting clearance before the exact boundaries of the Ramsar site were finalised.

In a suo moto case in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) over construction and landfilling activities taking place inside the Perumbakkam wetland, the tribunal halted all construction activities within one kilometre of the Pallikaranai marshland, until a comprehensive scientific study identifying the wetland’s zone of influence is completed.

Naturalist and environmental educator Deepak Venkatachalam of NGO Suzhal Arivom, who has studied Pallikaranai’s ecology for years, explained that after the 2015 Chennai flood, the government intervened to make the Pallikaranai marshland as a drain rather than a wetland. These interventions altered the natural topography of the marshland and its water withholding capacity, destabilising its habitat.

During a field visit, LCW researcher observed two other similar encroachments, one by NCC urban in Nookampalayam Link road and another by Casa Grande’ Hola Chennai in Sholinganallure.