Private resort in Ooty fined for illegal dumping of waste

A fine of ₹10,000 was imposed by the Udhagamandalam Municipality (UMC) on the owners of a private resort for dumping waste beside the ecologically significant Ooty Lake.

Officials from the UMC said that sanitation staff had been notified on ensuring that areas away from human settlements in the town, including the Ooty Lake, be monitored for littering, after that region as well as surrounding localities became open dumping grounds for both residents and business owners. Reserve forests are also being used illegally as open dumping sites, mostly around Fern Hill, Gorishola, and Lovedale, alleged activists who have been urging the municipality to impose steep fines on violators.

“The Ooty Lake is home to a large amount of biodiversity, including both resident and migratory species of birds and a number of different mammals. The area has, over the years, become the site of open dumping of household as well as construction waste,” said an activist, who has been pushing for the protection of the area over the past few years.

During an investigation that was conducted by the UMC to identify the individuals responsible for dumping the waste, they discovered receipts and documents from the garbage piles that pointed to the waste being generated by a private resort along the Ooty-Gudalur Road.

UMC officials conducted an inspection of the resort and met the management, warning them of stricter action if they continued to dump waste illegally out in the open. They imposed a fine of ₹10,000 and appealed to the public to segregate waste and hand it over to the door-to-door collection teams of the municipality.