People should be encouraged to build homes with locally available timber, the committee said
Ooty lake (Photo: journeymart.com)
Chennai: A high level parliamentary committee which visited Ooty last month to study environment degradation had recommended to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) to extend financial assistance to rejuvenate the Ooty lake under the national plan for conservation of aquatic eco system.
A copy of the committee's report submitted to Lok Sabha also recommended release of Rs 23 crore (central assistance) to speed up the translocation of people residing in core forest areas.
The committee also recommended ‘no vehicular zones’ during peak tourism seasons, ban on plastic bags and vehicle horns in the ecologically sensitive Nilgiris. The committee also advised the district administration to explore the feasibility of establishing mass rapid transit system and also to ban the use of old government and private vehicles in hilly terrain.
Expressing concern over the depleting biodiversity, the committee comprising 31 MPs further asked the MOEF to technically study and evolve solutions for the re-moval of invasive species and recommend solutions that would reduce the man — animal conflict in the Mudumalai tiger reserves. Pointing out that elephants were accountable for more than 90 per cent of the fatal wildlife encounters, the high level committee instructed the state authorities to compensate public residing in core forest areas volunteering for relocation.
The committee chaired by former union minister Ashwani Kumar also pointed out that construction material is transported to Ooty from neighboring cities contributing to pollution and suggested monitoring and regularisation of construction activities. People should be encouraged to build homes with locally available timber, the committee said.
There are several families that are ready to move out of reserve forests particularly within the Mudumalai tiger reserve, but lack of coordination between the Centre and state is delaying
the relocation process, said wildlife activist S Jeyachandran of Tamil Nadu Green Movement. In Kudremukh and Wayanad wildlife sanctuaries a large number of families were ready for relocation but the project hangs in balance due to non-availability of funds, he added.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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