Greens oppose Kovai to Ooty air ambulance

Ooty: As talks are in the air about the proposed air ambulance service between Ooty and Coimbatore to be operated by a private orthopedic hospital management based at Coimbatore, green activists in the hills here said that Nilgiris is a already a “no-fly” zone for noisy choppers and voiced their reservations over the project.

Mr.S. Jayachandran, joint secretary of Tamil Nadu Green Movement (TNGM), arguing for the health of the wildlife, expressed hisdismay over such a project.

“Already a chopper service proposal came up in 2007, but due to the valid objections from the green activists, the government stopped it.  The high decibel  noise being generated by the chopper when it flies is certainly a disturbance to the wildlife, especially, the avians and the pregnant wild jumbos in the wildlife rich Nilgiris as the  noise pollution from chopper is said to be leading to abortion in pregnant wild jumbos.  Occasionally, chopper is used in the hills for VVIP’s visits.  But, regular chopper service is not good for thehill ecology and its wildlife” he added.

Echoing the same tone, Mr. B. K. Kumaran, president of the Nilgiris Ecology and Animals Protection Samithi, said that in 1996 summer, the then district administration tried chopper-based tourism.  But, due to widespread objections from greens, the project was scrapped at once.

“Now in the present case, the hospital in question is a specialty unit in orthopedics. When there is not much emergency cases inorthopedics needing immediate medical attention in the hills, there is no need for such ventures.  The district administration should not allow the government helipad used for VVIP's visit in Theetukal in Ooty for this private chopper service,” he noted and demanded an enquiry.