A five-member expert committee constituted by the Kerala High Court to study the human-elephant conflict in the State will visit the boating centre at Anayirankal dam, near Munnar, in Idukki to inspect it.
According to officials, the panel members will visit the site soon and review if it is possible to operate boating in the catchment areas of Anayirankal Dam without causing disturbances to wild elephants. “After the visit, the panel members will inform the court, and the court will decide further,” said a source.
The Hydel Tourism wing of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) stopped operating boats in the dam on July 14 based on a directive of the HC. The HC-appointed expert panel committee recommended that boating caused disturbances to wild elephants.
Earlier, the panel sought a report from the Hydel Tourism wing about the boating facility in Anayirankal. According to sources, the panel asked the hydel tourism wing about the chances of including the shifting of the present parking ground.
Kerala Hydel Tourism Centre (KHTC) director Narendra Nath Veluri said the KTHC had already submitted a detailed proposal before the court. “The Hydel Tourism wing expects to continue the boating facility at Anayirankal dam,” said the official.
Meanwhile, sources said shifting the vehicle parking from near the Anayirankal dam catchment area was not practical. “There is no suitable land near the boating centre, and the parking area did not cause any disturbances to wild animals,” said a source.
In September, the panel also explored ways to continue boating service in Anayirankal without harming wildlife. Hydel Tourism Wing Munnar circuit senior manager Joyal Thomas said, “Presently, the tourism operations were suspended in two hydel tourism centres in Idukki, causing a huge revenue loss to the hydel tourism wing. The boating facility was suspended in Anayirankal after the court direction on July 14, and tourist entry was stopped at Idukki Dam after a major security breach on September 5. The Anayirankal tourism centre had received an income of ₹1 lakh per day, and the Idukki dam centre had received ₹50,000 per day for tourist entry allowed days,” said Mr. Thomas.
