Alarm bells over bid to build mini dam near Ooty

OOTY: Defying of Hill Stations Buildings Rules (HSBR) has gone to such an extent that the realtors have begun to build a mini dam across a natural stream in a tea garden at Devarsholai area near here.  

While the realtors there are making efforts to convert a large tea garden into a real estate hub, the greens charged that mini dam construction would have not commenced without the blessings of the concerned officials. The mini dam construction is being done in a hidden locale, little inside the tea estate in Devarsholai along the Ooty-Manjoor road.

Charging that Nilgiris district administration is keeping mum on this issue, Mr. B.K. Kumaran, president of the Nilgiris Ecology and Animals Protection Samithi (NEAPS),  said though the mini-dam or check-dam construction was brought to the district collector’s notice a few weeks ago by the local community there, no tangible action was taken to stop the construction.

“Though there are clear norms in HSBR that restricts conversion of agri-lands into construction hubs, the way in which it is being defied by the realtors and land sharks showcased that the officials concerned with implementation of HSBR are hardly doing anything to check violations.  This type of mini-dam construction in a private land would not have come up without the support of the officials.  NEAPS will take up this issue with the court to seek action against the Nilgiris district administration as well as the other concerned revenue and civic body officials.  We will also move for a vigilance enquiry on this,” he added.