In the wake of a real estate project that has come up allegedly inside the Pallikaranai marshland — one of Chennai’s most ecologically sensitive zones and a Ramsar-notified wetland — questions have surfaced about how large projects obtain environmental approvals. Public perception about who grants clearances is rather murky, and not always accurate, while the actual process is layered and well documented in the law of the land.

The Brigade Group’s housing project, which, according to the non-governmental organisation Arappor Iyakkam, obtained clearances despite being inside the limits of the protected site, has turned the spotlight on the system that decides when and how such permissions are granted.

Under the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006, issued under the Env

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