Environmental clearance for Brigade housing project in Pallikaranai revoked

The project proposes about 1,250 residential units on 14.7 acres in Perumbakkam, within Pallikaranai marshland’s Ramsar boundary.

| Photo Credit: B. Velankanni Raj

The State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) has revoked the Environmental Clearance (EC) granted to Brigade Enterprises Ltd. for its proposed residential project in the Pallikaranai marshland Ramsar site after finding that the company had commenced construction without obtaining mandatory permission from the Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority.

The decision was taken during the 1,005 th meeting of the SEIAA held on May 8, 2026, following a communication from the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Member Secretary of the Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority. The Authority brought to SEIAA’s notice that Brigade Enterprises had failed to comply with a project-specific condition attached to the environmental clearance granted on January 20, 2025.

The condition required the project proponent to obtain due permission from the Wetland Authority before commencing any work, wherever applicable. However, the Wetland Authority informed SEIAA that construction activities had already begun and that no such permission had been obtained prior to the start of the project.

SEIAA noted that this amounted to a violation of the conditions of the environmental clearance.

After considering the Wetland Authority’s findings, SEIAA decided to rescind the environmental clearance issued to the project. The project, known as Brigade Morgan Heights, proposes around 1,250 residential units on about 14.7 acres in Perumbakkam, within the Pallikaranai marshland’s Ramsar boundary.

Activists welcome move

Welcoming the move, Arappor Iyakkam said the cancellation was an important step towards protecting the Pallikaranai marsh. The organisation said it had raised complaints regarding the project approvals with various authorities in October 2025 and maintained that construction had begun without clearance from the Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority. It urged the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) to also revoke the project’s planning permission.

Poovulagin Nanbargal, an environmental organisation, welcomed the move and urged the Environment Department not to entertain any fresh application for environmental clearance from Brigade for the project. It also called on the Tamil Nadu government to expedite the identification and notification of wetlands across the State in accordance with the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017.

‘Revoking EC not legally sustainable’

In a response, Brigade Group said the Brigade Morgan Heights project, a joint development between the company and private landowner Morgan Asia Pvt. Ltd., had obtained all necessary approvals, including environmental clearance, CMDA approval and RERA registration in 2025.

The company noted that a public interest litigation challenging these approvals had been dismissed by the Madras High Court and pointed to an Environment, Climate Change and Forest Department press release issued on October 28, 2025, which stated that the project was located on private patta land and that the final wetland boundaries were yet to be determined.

Brigade said it believed the revocation of the environmental clearance was “not legally sustainable” and added that it, along with Morgan Asia Pvt. Ltd., had filed an appeal before the Supreme Court, where the matter is currently sub judice.

Published - June 18, 2026 11:33 am IST