A Second Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT)–Southern Zone has ordered a stay on the operation of coastal regulation zone (CRZ) clearance given to the Chennai Corporation’s Marina Loop Road project.
The proposed Rs. 47-crore project seeks to improve traffic flow along Santhome High Road and connect Lighthouse with Foreshore Estate.
Only last month, the First Bench, led by Justice M. Chockalingam, had issued an interim stay on the work based on a petition that said no CRZ clearance had been obtained for the project.
The bench had also ordered an inspection by an advocate commissioner to determine if the road expansion violated rules.
However, after the Corporation produced a copy of the CRZ clearance during one of the court hearings, the petitioner, S. Venkatesh from T. Nagar, moved NGT again, seeking a stay on its operation.
The petition, which came up for hearing before the Second Bench comprising Justice P. Jyothimani and expert member R. Nagendran on Wednesday, says the project site falls along the High-Tide Line in some places. Intertidal zones are classified as CRZ-I and hence, the present activity is prohibited under CRZ Notification (2011).
The petition also says the CRZ clearance given to the project has not been published on the website of the environment department, a mandatory measure.
While the lawyers representing the government pleaded a related matter is already before NGT and this petition too could be posted before it, the Second Bench issued an interim stay on the operation of the CRZ clearance and adjourned the matter to May 5.
