Protesters demand cancellation of plans to develop Ooty Race Course into eco-park

Protesters rally against plans to convert Ooty Race Course into an eco-park, citing environmental and legal concerns.

Protesters gathered at the gate of the Ooty Race Course in Udhagamandalam on Tuesday, and raised slogans against the plans to develop the area into an eco-park.

The 55-acre park, which is the last remaining notable green-space within the town, is to be developed into an eco-park, with multilevel car parking facilities, as was announced by the government recently. However, environmentalists who have looked over the proposal state that the area is to be developed into an eco-park in name only, as the species that are being introduced are non-native and will alter the wetland.

The protesters, including civil society groups, activists, conservationists and local residents, stated that the plans were in violation of the Hill Station Building Rules, 1993, and were being pushed through without Hill Area Conservation Authority (HACA) or Wetland Authority clearances.

They also accused the district administration of inaction, and highlighted the risk to water security in The Nilgiris and the downstream districts of Coimbatore, Erode and Tiruppur.

The protest was organised by the Confederation of Environment Associations of Nilgiris (CEAN). In a press release, CEAN said that the Race Course regulates the storm water drainage of Udhagamandalam town, and that any plans to change its nature in the form of construction will lead to increased flood risk and jeopardise the safety of the town’s residents.

Surjit K. Chaudhary, Chairperson of CEAN, a retired IAS officer, who took part in the protest, said that the government was the biggest violator of its own laws, and called for the plans to be scrapped.