Demand mounts to stop construction surrounding Ooty lake following NGT intervention

CEAN urges D.C. Aruna to stop construction around Ooty lake & railway station as NGT takes suo moto cognisance of protests against destruction of wetlands. SC directs Collector to protect wetlands & CEAN claims district admin has failed to do so. NGT hearing listed, Collector must issue instructions to stop work to avoid SC contempt.

The Confederation of Environment Associations of Nilgiris (CEAN) has urged that the Nilgiris District Collector, M.Aruna, issue instructions to stop construction work around the Ooty lake and boat house as well as the Udhagamandalam railway station since the National Green Tribunal has taken suo moto cognisance of the protests against the destructions of the wetlands.

The chairperson and coordinator of CEAN, Surjit K. Chuaudhary, a retired IAS officer, said civil society groups and citizens’ collectives had clearly highlighted that the building of a zipline and rope bridge across the Ooty lake, as well as the destruction of the wetland surrounding the railway station were in violation of the Hill Station Building Rules, 1993 of the Tamil Nadu District Municipalities Act, and were also in contravention of the Master Plan of the district.

“We also brought to the Collector’s notice the judgment of the Supreme Court of India wherein the Collector has been directed to proactively protect the wetlands covered in the shape files communicated to the Collector by the state wetland authority…” said Mr. Chaudhary, adding that the district administration has failed to take effective steps to do so, thereby “helping the culprits and violators of law.”

He added that since the National Green Tribunal had taken suo moto cognisance of the protests and listed the issue for hearing, the Collector must issue instructions to stop the work on the lake and railway station with immediate effect to avoid contempt of the Supreme Court of India.