The famous Ooty lake is in news again. Construction surrounding the lake is drawing criticism from people. Conservation groups allege that the construction is in violation of building rules and Master Plan for the district.

1962 batch retired IAS officer M.R. Sivaraman has co-signed a letter criticising the Nilgiris district administration for its response to members of the press stating that the Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, was not applicable to the Ooty Lake as it was a man-made lake.

Ooty lake is an artificial lake near Ooty in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, India. It covers an area of 65 acres. The boathouse on the lake is a major tourist attraction.

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Retired IAS officer Surjit K. Chaudhary, Chairperson and Coordinator of the Confederation of Environment Associations of Nilgiris (CEAN), who drafted the letter, took exception to the response of District Collector M. Aruna, an IAS officer of 2016 batch, who said that the rules as well as the Hill Station Building Rules under the Tamil Nadu District Municipalities Act, 1920, were not applicable to the lake as it was “man-made.”

Earlier CEAN has highlighted how the construction of a rope bridge and a zipline surrounding the Ooty lake not only violate Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, but also the Hill Station Building Rules, 1993 and the Master Plan of the Nilgiris.

Mr. Chaudhary said that the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change mapped all the wetlands in 2011 and a National Wetland Inventory Assessment Report (NWIAR) was prepared and released. “It is understood that relevant portions of the said report were communicated to the district administration,” he said.