Union Ministry grants CRZ clearance with conditions for the construction of Kalaignar pen monument in the Bay of Bengal off Chennai's Marina Beach.
The Union Ministry of Environment has granted Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance to the Tamil Nadu government's proposal for constructing the Muthamizh Arignar Dr. Kalaignar pen monument in the Bay of Bengal, off Marina Beach in Chennai. However, this clearance comes with 15 conditions that must be met. This final approval allows the State government to proceed with implementing the proposal.
The Union Ministry, in a letter to the Public Works Department on June 19, stated that the CRZ clearance was provided based on recommendations from the Expert Appraisal Committee and Tamil Nadu Coastal Zone Management Authority. It is important to note that if the conditions are not satisfactorily implemented, the Ministry retains the authority to revoke or suspend the clearance.
The conditions include submitting an annual environment statement to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board and uploading compliance reports to the PWD website. The proposed pen monument would stand 30 meters tall and cover an area of 8,551 square meters, featuring a pen pedestal, a lattice bridge over the beach and land, and a pedestrian pathway over the sea. Some of the specified conditions include obtaining a no objection certificate from INS Adyar, located 800 meters away from the project site, conducting erosion and accretion studies, and submitting crowd management and emergency evacuation plans to the regional environment office.
The CRZ clearance is subject to the final order of the National Green Tribunal, southern zone, and compliance with court and tribunal directives is mandatory. Hubert Enviro Care Systems, based in Chennai, serves as the infrastructure and environmental consultant for the project. The Public Works Department will now prepare a detailed project report based on the Ministry's approval to move forward with the implementation of the Kalaignar Pen Monument.
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