Following news reports about the presence of plastic covers in the dung of elephants on the Coonoor slopes, the Forest Department has undertaken a clean-up operation along the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) line.
Recently, local residents who were walking along the railway line between Coonoor and Burliar noticed the presence of plastic items in the multiple dung heaps of elephants that frequently use the NMR line to make their way up the slopes to Hillgrove and Runnymede railway stations. Conservationists had also called on the Salem division of Southern Railways to prohibit the use of banned plastic items by passengers, and to ensure that they do not discard waste into reserve forests.
District Forest Officer (Nilgiris division), S. Gowtham, who was informed about the littering along the NMR line, promised to look into the issue, and ordered local forest rangers to organise a clean-up. Teams of Forest Department staff from Coonoor Forest Range began a clean-up drive from Runnymede railway station.
He said the work would continue for the next few days, till the line is clear of plastic and waste materials that could be harmful to wildlife. He said that awareness campaigns would also be conducted urging people not to throw plastic along the railway line and along the sides of the road.
