CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation has informed the Madras High Court that it would take necessary steps for gradually converting petrol outboard motor boards into electric outboard motor boats for boating operations in the Pykara lake in the Nilgiris within a reasonable time.
The submission was made before a special bench of justices N Sathish Kumar and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy on Friday when forest-related cases came up for hearing.
“We require reasonable time to gradually convert the existing petrol outboard motor boats into electric outboard motor boats. We assure in future we will not purchase any petrol driven outboard motors for Pykara boat house and will gradually purchase electricity driven outboard motor boats while ensuring uninterrupted tourist services and continued adherence to environmental protection measures,” a report filed before the bench said.
It noted that tourists to Pykara boat house are attracted by the high-speed boating activities such as speed boats and jet ski boats. Any sudden stoppage of the existing petrol-propelled outboard motor boats would result in loss of revenue.