Report on proposed fishing jetty site at Alagankuppam village, Marakanam taluk of Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu, 02/08/2022

Status report filed by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden, Chennai in the matter of M. Yuvadeeban Vs Department of Fisheries, Tamil Nadu & Others.

The NGT, vide order, March 4, 2022 had directed a joint committee to find out whether the proposed fishing jetty site at Alagankuppam village, Marakanam taluk of Villupuram district has any impact on the Olive Ridley turtle nesting and Kaluveli bird sanctuary.

The joint committee in their report has stated that during the site visit the committee has not seen any live Olive Ridley turtle nesting area in the proposed project sits. However, there exist some old nesting sites on the sand dunes area, which are located outside the project implementing area and is already marked as CRZ-1A category in the CRZ map, which is about 500 meter away from the project site. As such no disturbance has been made to the sand dunes due to the project implementation. The project implementing area is not falling in CRZ-1A and not on Olive Ridley Turtle nesting area.

The Tamil Nadu forest deparment has submitted that the proposed fishing jetty site is located on the southern bank of the creek which connects the Edayanthittu and estuary in the Bay of Bengal and it is not located in Olive Ridley nesting site area. However, the proposed artificial digging trench and retaining wall for the proposed harbor by the Fisheries Department is located in the nesting site of Olive Ridley Sea Turtle, said the report of August 2, 2022.