The construction of the Kalaignar Pen Monument in Bay of Bengal has been recommended for Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance by the expert appraisal committee (EAC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The petitioner who filed the case against the project has withdrawn their application in the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal following the EAC’s recommendation. However, the Tribunal has decided to wait to make a decision until the Supreme Court’s verdict on a similar case, which is expected to be announced on July 3. The monument, which is proposed to be 42-meters-tall and cost INR 80 crore, is planned to be built 360 metres from the shoreline with a bridge connecting it to the beach. Environmentalists have raised concerns about the construction site being in a sporadic nesting site for Olive Ridley turtles, but the EAC has mandated various plans to ensure the project’s adherence to environmental and safety regulations.
B Ramkumar Adityan is the petitioner who filed the case against the proposed construction of the Kalaignar Pen Monument in Bay of Bengal. Adityan originally stated that the construction site falls under CRZ-1A, CRZ-II and CRZ-IVA areas and voiced concerns about the impact on the environment, specifically the Olive Ridley turtle nesting site. Following the EAC’s recommendation for the project to receive CRZ clearance, Adityan withdrew the interlocutory applications made in the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal.
