The Nilgiri Documentation Centre (NDC) has called on the government to come up with a revised and comprehensive Master Plan to stop the “alarming nature of violations of land use in recent times.”
In a press release, Venugopal Dharmalingam, honorary director of the NDC, said that the issue “warrants an urgent revision of Master Plan for the Nilgiris to cover the whole of the fragile mountain district,” he said in a press release.
Mr. Venugopal said that one of the first decisions former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa took when she came to power in 1991 was to declare a moratorium on constructions in the Nilgiris, and then followed it up with a Master Plan for the district.
He said that the implementation of the Master Plan in the past 26 years had been “ad hoc, arbitrary and adjustable” and that the revision in 2011 only added to the confusion and violations.
The NDC said that the district had seen unprecedented growth in tourism, real estate, commerce and cultivation over the last 25 years.
“The consequences of these man-made transforms on the land use and civic infrastructure and natural resources have been wide spread and serious,” he added.
Issues
Mr. Venugopal said that a revised and comprehensive Master Plan for the Nilgiris was urgently needed, and that the plan should address all issues, including protection of water resources, slope stability, rural roads, protection of all cultural and historical sites.
“The revised zoning should be based on availability of water, drainage, roads, waste disposal and policing facilities. The plan should address the needs of the district for the next 10 years at the least,” said Mr. Venugopal, calling for a moratorium to be imposed on all new public investments including roads, parks and tourist facilities till the new Master Plan was readied and implemented.
