As many as 22 residential buildings facing the beach in Muttukadu along East Coast Road (ECR) are at risk of demolition, as the Chengalpattu district administration has identified them as violators of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) regulations.
The buildings in question—some completed while others remain under construction—are situated within the No Development Zone (NDZ) of CRZ III, where the establishment of permanent structures is prohibited within 200 metres of the High Tide Line. During inspections, at least six of these buildings were found to be under construction, indicating that work is ongoing despite the existing regulatory restrictions.
Additionally, there are upscale, completed buildings, some of which have two floors, constructed along the delicate coastal area of Muttukadu. These observations were included in an Action Taken Report submitted by Chengalpattu Collector S Arunraj to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which has taken suo motu cognizance of the situation. The collector’s team, which included revenue and environmental officials, conducted GPS-tagged inspections and provided photographs and ownership information to the Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority (TNSCZMA) to facilitate action.
During the hearing on Thursday, the tribunal’s expert member Satyagopal Korlapati posed critical questions regarding the lack of demolition actions taken thus far, considering that the administration had already acknowledged the violations. The NGT also remarked that the District Collector, who serves as the chairman of the district coastal zone management authority (DCZMA), is expected to take decisive action against such illegal developments.
In reply, the state coastal zone management authority (SCZMA) informed the bench that it had sent the list of violators to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, requesting clarification on whether it possesses the authority to carry out demolitions directly. The NGT is now anticipated to determine whether demolition can proceed without awaiting further instructions from the Centre. This issue is likely to be revisited in the upcoming weeks.
