CHENNAI: In a landmark move that aims at urban conservation, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered an immediate stop to all construction planning and approvals in and around the Pallikaranai marshland.

According to a report in The Times of India , the city’s last largest wetland, which was once sprawling over 6000 hectares has now been reduced to just 1200 hectares. In a haste to conserve what little is left of the marsh, the tribunal is taking rapid action to suspend construction around it.

The NGT has directed top agencies including the CMDA, the Greater Chennai Corporation and the state wetland authority to put a hold on all building permissions until the wetland’s exact boundaries and buffer zones are demarcated and integrated into the city’s plan. The bench also stressed

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