A range of climate and environment-related announcements made in the Tamil Nadu Assembly between 2021 and 2025 have not translated into on-ground implementation, according to a report. The initiatives covered climate education, coastal protection, pollution monitoring and restoration of degraded ecosystems.
The report notes that even after the department’s name was changed from the Environment Department to the Climate Change Department, there has been no corresponding shift in execution. Multiple projects with specified allocations were announced, but many remain pending.
Among the unimplemented proposals listed are ₹24 crore for climate literacy programmes in schools, including nature camps and competitions, and ₹10 crore for “bio-shields” to prevent sea erosion along coastal stretches in Cuddalore and Thoothukudi districts. Other announcements include ₹5 crore to restore Sanjeevi Hills in Rajapalayam and ₹16 crore to rehabilitate 20 channels to improve irrigation by linking water bodies in the same region.
The report also cites plans such as ₹10 crore to restore abandoned mines, degraded lands and polluted water bodies across Tamil Nadu; ₹1 crore to set up centres in Chennai, Ramanathapuram and Thoothukudi to prevent plastic waste from reaching the sea; and ₹1.50 crore to help wholesale markets in Madurai, Tiruchirappalli and Coimbatore move towards zero-carbon targets.
Additional pending measures include remote monitoring of vehicular emissions at selected toll plazas (₹15 lakh), setting up flying squads of the Pollution Control Board in five cities (₹2.35 crore), the “Tamil Nadu Green Hands” student programme (₹22.35 crore), AI-based monitoring at solid waste dump yards (₹4 crore), noise mapping in four major cities (₹50 lakh), a lake quality monitoring scheme (₹5 crore), a green rating programme for cities (₹3 crore), a ₹10 crore fund to support local bodies implementing climate solutions, a new platform to enable waste-sharing between producers and users, and a soil quality map in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.
