Construction of adventure facilities at Ooty Lake by TTDC stopped for want of clearances

Construction of adventure tourism facilities in Nilgiris halted due to lack of clearances, sparking environmental concerns and activism.

Construction of facilities for adventure tourism by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) in the Nilgiris has come to a standstill for want of clearances.

Despite conservationists and local activists continuously voicing their opposition to the project being undertaken without Hill Area Conservation Authority (HACA) clearance, and the construction allegedly being in violation of the town’s Master Plan and the (Hill Station) Building Rules of 1993, construction of ziplines, adventure towers and a rope bridge spanning the lake, began in 2023, at an estimated cost of ₹5 crore.

After activists continued to pressure the government, citing environmental and safety concerns, construction has been stopped for the last four months, an official from the TTDC managing the Ooty Lake and Boat House confirmed. He said that they were working with the Nilgiris district administration to obtain the relevant clearances before restarting work at the site. “The construction was initiated by the contractor. I have been informed that the work has stopped due to the contractor not obtaining HACA clearance,” said the official, requesting anonymity.

However, local activists have been critical of the handling of the project, and wondered why construction even began without getting the proper approvals. “It is concerning that the government can begin and almost complete most of the work on a project without even getting relevant clearances. It sends out the message that clearances for government projects, even if they are in violation of building laws, can be procured after damage to the local environment is already done,” said a Nilgiris-based activist, who has been campaigning to protect the Ooty lake and its wildlife ever since the project was announced.

Surjit K. Chaudhary, a retired IAS officer and Chairperson of the Confederation of Environment Associations of Nilgiris (CEAN), said that the Nilgiris district administration’s position on the lack of protection for the Ooty lake rested solely on the assertion that it was “man-made.”

Mr. Chaudhary said that even if the lake was man-made, it was part of a larger wetland complex that had previously encompassed most of Udhagamandalam town, starting from Charring Cross and extending towards the area where the present Ooty bus stand now stands, and also including the present-day Ooty lake, Khandal and Sandynallah. “This entire wetland, wherever possible, needs to be protected,” he said.