NGT issues notice to TN, Kerala govts over hill safety
CHENNAI: Amid the rescue operations in landslide-hit Wayanad district are ongoing and concerns over the safety of the Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu coming to the fore, the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued notices to Kerala and Tamil Nadu governments seeking details of measures taken to prevent similar incidents.
The NGT issued notices to the chief secretaries, state disaster management authorities of both States and the district collectors of Wayanad and Idukki in Kerala and Nilgiris and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.
While hearing a suo motu case concerning the incident, the judicial member Pushpa Sathyanarayana stated that the tribunal wanted to know the cause of the landslides and the remedial and prevention measures the State authorities have in place to prevent recurring tragedies.
Expressing displeasure over permits being given to construct buildings on the hill slopes both in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the judicial member sought details of the type of soil in landslide-affected Chooralmala and Mundakkai in the Meppadi region, carrying capacity of the region and the reason for allowing construction of high number of buildings.
The Tribunal also pointed out that the report of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel headed by ecologist Madhav Gadgil has classified Vythiri taluk of Wayanad district as ecologically sensitive zone-1, thus barring alterations in land use there.
Taking note of the mushrooming resorts in Nilgiris and Valparai, the tribunal wondered why the tourism department failed to keep the construction of resorts in landslide-prone areas under control.