CHENNAI: Coming as a big relief for IIT-Madras, the Southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday refused to shift Shaastra, a four-day technical festival scheduled to be held from January 4, out of campus. However, the tribunal has imposed certain conditions, failing which it would penalise the institution with ‘Polluter Pays’ principle.
Passing an interim order in deer deaths case filed by animal activist Antony Clement Rubin, the bench, comprising Justice MS Nambiar and expert member PS Rao, rejected the petitioner counsel’s plea to form a committee to look into the feasibility of organising festivals like Shaastra and Sarang in ecologically-sensitive IIT-Madras campus, which is a home to over 40 different species, including the endangered blackbuck.
Nambiar relying on the State forest department’s affidavit submitted by Hem Chandra Tyagi, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and Chief Wildlife Warden of State forest department, said stray dogs seem to be the biggest problem for the institute to protect its wildlife. The forest official claimed that a staggering 291 deer and blackbucks have been killed by dogs since 2010.
The tribunal has attributed the thriving dog population in IIT-M to unscientific disposal of solid waste and construction debris. Nambiar, in the order, has asked IIT Madras to declare its campus litter-free and given one week time to rid the campus of all solid waste and construction debris.
“If the solid waste and construction debris are disposed scientifically, the stray dogs that feed on the garbage will naturally move out of the campus which will reduce the risk of hunting the deer and black buck,” Nambiar observed.
Though the forest department counsel argued that the best solution to protect wildlife inside IIT-Madras campus was to remove the strays, the tribunal said the law doesn’t allow it. The Supreme Court judgement in AWBI vs People for Elimination of Stray Troubles says the strays population can only be kept under check through ABC (Animal Birth Control) Programme.
The tribunal directed that senior officials from Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and Greater Chennai Corporation be nominated to inspect IIT-Madras after the clean-up and submit a report and also asked the institution to avoid use of plastic and high-decibel sound during any festivity.