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By Express News Service
26th February 2011 08:34 AM
PALAKKAD: The protection of the Nelliyampathy hills should be seen in the context of the protection of the Western Ghats as a whole, environmentalist and Western Ghats development programme coordinator Pandurang Hegde has said.
He told reporters here on Friday that rare species of plants and living beings were seen in these areas.
“We need to protect what remains”, he said. The use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers in plantations has affected the health of the people. The people of Nelliyampathy, especially, the workers, social organisations, political parties and the local bodies should engage in activities friendly to the environment. They can emulate the participatory management being practised in the Periyar Tiger Reserve.
The development of Nelliyampathy should be done in consultation with all stakeholders like the workers, drivers, representatives of the estates and the Adivasis.
As a part of it, a two-day workshop will be held in April in Nelliyampathy involving scientists, lawyers of the High Court and the Supreme Court, representatives of voluntary organisations and officials of the Forests Department.
Copyright © 2012 The New Indian Express. All rights reserved.
Comments(11)
Kerala’s forest department had finalised the process of cancelling the lease of forest land in Nelliyampathy. Nelliyampathy hills’ ecological significance was highlighted by the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel which submitted its report to the Union ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) last year. The panel categorized the hill ranges in the highest ecologically sensitive Zone 1 category. Section two of Forest Conservation Act, 1980, says the diversion of leased forest land can only be done with prior permission from the Government of India. It was fantastic that the forest department could take initiative to cancel the lease of estates on finding several violations like illegal division of the leased estate in the names of many owners and even taking loans based on this division of land.
Posted by Madan Menon Thottasseri,Chennai at 08/06/2012 18:27 Reply to this Report abuse
Forest department could prove evidence for mass cut of trees, even sale of forest land and also raised huge loans as if the land belongs to the estate owners! The hill which is rich in wildlife being a dwelling place to rare flora and fauna prevalent in Western Ghats. Major tributaries to the Pothundi, Meenkara, Chulliyar, Mangalam and Peechi Dam originate from Nelliyampathy hills. The water storage in these reservoirs is adversely affected by extensive felling of tress and deforestation. The forest land is unique due to its nearness to the Parambikulam wildlife Sanctuary. The Nelliyampathy hills with amazing varieties of flora and fauna, around 65 km from Palakkad and 45 k.m from Nenmara is situated at a height of 467 meters to 1572 meters at the highest peak. The Hill station is comprised of a chain of ridges separated by valleys of dense, evergreen virgin forests and orange plantations.
Posted by Madan Menon Thottasseri,Chennai at 08/06/2012 18:28 Reply to this Report abuse
There are more than a dozen hair-pin bends on the ghat road originating from Pothundy Dam and pass through the jungles of Sahyadri ranges. Nelliyampathi’s forest regions are sanctified with wild animals like elephants, leopards, hill squirrels, bison and a wide spectrum of bird life. Around 215 species of birds and 90 species of butterflies have been recorded in Nelliyampathy these hills. There exist rare species of birds including Grey-breasted Laughing Thrush, Great Pied Hornbill, Jerdon's Baza, Great Black Woodpecker, Oriental Broad-billed Roller, Nilgiri Flycatcher, Broad-tailed Grassbird and Nilgiri Pipit. Primates including Lion-tailed Macaque, Bonnet Macaque and Nilgiri Langur are also seen there. Further a small population of the endangered Nilgiri Tahr is also seen in the grassy peaks.
Posted by Madan Menon Thottasseri,Chennai at 08/06/2012 18:32 Reply to this Report abuse
Nelliyampathy is also the perfect location for eco tourism and farm tourism. The sprawling tea gardens, coffee, cardamom and orange plantation add beauty to this destination at all seasons. Studies had revealed that a rich civilization existed in Nelliyampathy during Tamil Sangam era. Certain view-points en-route to the hill station offer a splendid sight of the Palakkad Gap, which is a geographical phenomenon in the Western Ghats formation, showing the extensive paddy fields of the Palakkad district and adjoining Coimbatore-Pollachi regions forming a verdant carpet.
Posted by Madan Menon Thottasseri,Chennai at 08/06/2012 18:49 Reply to this Report abuse
While Kerala with the tag of “God’s Own Country” prudently gives thrust for Ayurveda and Back-water oriented tourism to woo maximum number of class tourists to the state, it should launch a special campaign- ‘Tea Garden Tourism” for locations like Nelliyampathy. Campaign for “Festival Tourism” is also feasible for attracting tourists to exclusive colorful festivals wherein there will be elephants’ parade, traditional drum recitals and display of fire-works at Thrissur Pooram, Nenmmara-Vallanghy Vela etc. Nenmara town in the valley of the hill station is actually lying in the middle of Pollachi- Vadakkumcherry- Nenmmara -Thrissur Inter- State route merged with NH-47 at Vadakkumcherry. It is connected by road with Palakkad, the district headquarters through two or three routes with distances around 20 k.m.
Posted by Madan Menon Thottasseri,Chennai at 08/06/2012 18:51 Reply to this Report abuse