The Confederation of Environment Associations of Nilgiris (CEAN) has hit out against the “horrible” track record of the Nilgiris district administration in protecting the district’s wetlands.
Highlighting statements made by the district administration about the constructions being undertaken on the peripheries of the Ooty Lake by the Tourism Department before the National Green Tribunal, Surjit K. Chaudhary, a retired IAS officer and Chairperson of CEAN, has listed a series of “specific and deliberate omissions” made by the district administration to justify the construction of the structures which include an “adventure tower” featuring ziplines and a rope bridge across the lake.
Among the statements that have been criticised by CEAN was the admission that the proposal for the project had been tabled before the Hill Area Conservation Authority (HACA) before being submitted to the Architectural and Aesthetic Aspects (AAA) Committee. “AAA and HACA clearances have to be obtained before starting the work,” said Mr. Chaudhary, adding that the AAA committee had been on record in November, 2023, almost a year after constructions began, clarifying that they had yet to receive the proposal for the project.
He also criticised the district administration for falsely stating that the structures that were being constructed were “temporary.” Huge amounts of concrete had been dumped in the lake bed to support the super structures that were as high as 70-feet, while rules only permit the construction of structures of up to 23 feet, he said.
“The administration claims to be in compliance with the modified Ooty Master Plan. One of the stated objectives... is to protect the lake by not allowing constructions within 150 meters of the lake boundaries,” CEAN said in a press release. They also said that under the Wetland notification issued by the Government of India under Environment Protection Act that Collectors were supposed “to establish ground truthing of all wetlands, whose shape files have been communicated to them... The Collector of the Nilgiris....has delayed the notification of the wetland,” charged Mr. Chaudhary, adding that in the past, the district administration had failed to protect the Horasholai wetland in Kotagiri, Burnfoot Lake in Udhagamandalam and Rifle Range in Kotagiri.
