NILGIRIS: The Confederation of Environment Associations of Nilgiris (CEAN) has sent a letter to chief secretary N Muruganandam seeking immediate steps to hand the Race Course land in the town to the forest department for conservation.
The district administration had recently retrieved the 52.34 acres of leased land from the Madras Race Club and handed it over to the horticulture department for converting it into an eco park. The land was used for horse racing for 130 years.
According to Surjit K Chaudhary, former IAS officer and chairperson-cum-coordinator of CEAN, “Like Pallikaranai lake in Chennai handed over to the forest department, the recently retrieved revenue land should be handed over to the Nilgiris forest division under the Forest Conservation Act instead of keeping it with horticulture department to conserve the bio life and wetland.
“The Madras club constructed multiple concrete structures in the wetland in violation of the Hill Station Building Rules, Udhagamandalam Master Plan, and Environment Protection Act even when the land was leased to them. Hence, all the structures, new, old and semi-permanent, should be removed immediately, and the debris should be cleared and allow the wetland to breathe for its revival,” he said.