Chennai: NGT halts metro work along Nanmangalam – Times of India

Chennai News
CHENNAI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) not to proceed with the phase-2 work along the Nanmangalam Reserve Forest without forest department’s approval.
The forest department is also directed to take necessary precautions to protect the biodiversity while granting permission for CMRL to convert a portion of forest land in Nanmangalam for non-forest purposes.

The issue was brought to light by a media report, which alleged that allowing CMRL construction without proper studies might have an adverse impact on Nanmangalam’s biodiversity.
Nanmangalam is a scrub jungle with over 400 species of plants and 120 bird species including the great horned owl (or Indian eagle owl). So, NGT Southern Zone (SZ) in Chennai directed CMRL and other related state agencies to file a status report on the project and newspaper allegations. CMRL told the tribunal that its construction of phase-2 of metro rail in Chennai consists of three corridors (Corridors 3, 4 and 5). The Corridor 5 (C-5) alignment connects Madhavaram in the north to Sholinganallur in the south, passes through major residential and commercial areas.
It is reiterated here that C-5 is confined to the periphery of Nanmangalam reserve forest and not passing through the forest. While the majority of the metro rail arrangement passes along the centre of existing roads, the existing road between Velakkal and Medavakkam Koot Road does not have two lanes width.
So CMRL has no other option, but taking the alignment along the boundary of the Nanmangalam forest compound wall. Large extent of forest land is not likely to be converted for this project. The reserved forest is 320.92 Ha. But CMRL requires only 1.569 Ha (which is only 0.48%), according to official documents.
Already studies have been made and a proposal has been submitted with the forest department for converting the 1.569 Ha of land for non-forest purposes, CMRL told NGT.
But this application was returned to CMRL seeking clarification and the same has not been resubmitted, the forest department report said. Only after receiving the revised proposal, the department can take a call on whether to approve CMRL to use the forest land or not.
Till CMRL obtains prior forest clearance, they can’t proceed with the project and this could lead to delay in overall commissioning of entire phase-2 of 118 km metro facility and result in cost overruns too.

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/chennai-ngt-halts-metro-work-along-nanmangalam/articleshow/84516439.cms