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The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has played an invaluable role in strengthening accountability, deepening environmental jurisprudence, and ensuring that the “right to a healthy environment” is not just a constitutional ideal but a lived reality, said Thangam Thennarasu, Minister for Finance, Environment and Climate Change, Pensions and Pensionary Benefits, and Archaeology.
“Tamil Nadu is committed not only to compliance but also to collaboration with the NGT in shaping solutions that are legally sound, environmentally responsible, and socially just,” he said, speaking at the inaugural session of the Regional Conference on Environment-2025, organised by the National Green Tribunal, Southern Zone Bench, Chennai, and the Southern State Pollution Control Boards and Committees in Chennai on Saturday.
Mr. Thennarasu further said: “Tamil Nadu has notified eight new wildlife sanctuaries, the fastest expansion of protected areas in our state’s history, including India’s first Slender Loris Sanctuary in Dindigul and Dugong Conservation Reserve along the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, a globally significant seagrass habitat.”
“These aren’t just notifications on paper but corridors that secure ecological connectivity, protect endangered flora and fauna, and strengthen long-term climate resilience,” he added.
The Minister also pointed out that Tamil Nadu is home to 1,068 km of coastline, some of India’s richest coral, seagrass, and mangrove ecosystems. “To safeguard this fragile coastal zone, we have initiated the formation of the Marine Resource Foundation (MRF) a dedicated institution that will, support long-term marine research and monitoring, assist in blue carbon studies and coastal resilience planning,” he noted.
NGT Chairperson Prakash Shrivastava said the conference was designed to address the distinctive environmental concerns of South India.
“Effective environmental governance requires sustained co-ordination among the State pollution control boards, local bodies, and scientific institutions. Strengthening this co-operation is essential for addressing the shared environmental challenges,” he said.