Madras HC restrains conduct of heli tourism during Nilgiris summer festival

Thursday, May 18, 2023

The Madras High Court, in a verdict, has restrained the Tamil Nadu government from permitting heli tourism as part of the ongoing summer festival in the Nilgiris this month, The Hindu reported.

“The fragile eco-system and vulnerability of this bio-diverse region cannot be the victim of crass commercialism, that too in such an unplanned and careless fashion,” the Madras High Court remarked on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.

The verdict was passed while allowing a writ petition filed by T. Murugavel of Chennai who claimed to be owning properties in the Nilgiris.

Justices Anita Sumanth and M. Nirmal Kumar disapproved of the steps taken by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) and the Nilgiris district administration to grant permission to a private firm to conduct heli tourism from the Theetukal helipad, which is located approximately three kilometres from Udhagamandalam.

The judges said the records placed before the court established “the abject sidelining of the forest department, the wildlife wardens (of the tiger reserves and national parks in the Nilgiris Biosphere) and other relevant persons who should have been involved in the decision-making process for a project of this nature.”

The Bench led by Justice Sumanth issued the judgement after considering the concerns raised by Senior Counsel R. Srinivas about the impact that frequent helicopter operations as part of the summer tourism festival could have on the wild animals and birds in the fragile eco-system.

“There is not a single document produced before us to indicate seeking of or grant of clearance of the heli tourism project by the forest officials after consultation with wildlife wardens of the national parks / sanctuaries. This is not just curious but indicates abject non-application to the relevant considerations on hand,” the Bench wrote.

The judges went on to state, “The authorities / administration cannot, but be aware of and sensitive to the special features and demands of the area in which they are posted and serve and the apparent and blatant disregard in this case, leaves us baffled.”

« Back to Page

• Kerala takes to the skies: Helicopter tourism soars for a spectacular visitor experience

• Madras high court stopped heli tourism in Ooty