The last two months were the peak tourism season for the Nilgiris district. Over nine lakh tourists visited the recently-concluded summer festival which comprised a range of shows starting from fruits and vegetables to the flower show.
However, the large inflow of tourists also had a negative effect as they have left behind a huge pile of garbage that is proving deadly for the wildlife.
A sambhar deer and an Indian gaur were found dead recently with the post-mortem examinations revealing polythene bags in their stomachs. Plastic covers were also discovered in elephant dung in The Nilgiris.
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With the objective of tackling this, the Forest Department joined hands with the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) to begin a two-day cleaning-up operation on Tuesday. Around 100 persons took part in the campaign, taken up on a 15 kilometre-stretch –Thalaikundha-Pykara Road and Thalaikundha-Kallatti Road. They picked up the garbage on both sides of the roads, which adjoin the forests. S. Kavitha, Project Director of DRDA, says 25 labourers were brought in under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. The campaign focussed on Thalaikundha, which is the junction of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and is surrounded by tourism hotspots. The grasslands in the area are now filled with garbage. “The plastic obtained from this drive would be used to lay roads. The bottles and paper cups would be sold off,” she added.
C. Badrasamy, District Forest Officer, The Nilgiris South Division, said that the Forest Department pressed around 30 of its staff along with 20 Toda businessmen who are in the Eco-Tourism Committees besides labourers hired by the local bodies.