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December 29, 2023 02:56 pm | Updated December 30, 2023 07:14 am IST – UDHAGAMANDALAM
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The Mukurthi National Park is extremely ecologically fragile, and is home to rare and endangered species of wildlife, including the Nilgiri Tahr. File photograph used for representational purposes only
A chartered helicopter flew over the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) and the protected Mukurthi National Park, carrying VIP guests from a major private company, on December 27. Since no permission had been granted, Tamil Nadu’s Forest Department has begun an investigation.
The Bell 429 GlobalRanger took off at Mysuru and flew over the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) before flying up the precarious O’Valley ridge, past the Mukurthi Peak and Lake, crossed into Porthimund and skirted around Avalanche before landing at the Korakundah Estate adjoining the Mukurthi National Park, which is closed to tourists and can only be accessed with permission from the Chief Wildlife Warden and the Conservator of Forests (Nilgiris).
The helicopter was registered with ‘Chemplast Sanmar.’ Officials from the Coimbatore International Airport confirmed that the helicopter subsequently took off from the Korakundah Estate and landed at the Coimbatore International Airport.
According to experts who tracked the flight path of the aircraft using open-source data, the pilot switched off the transponder while ascending the extremely perilous O’Valley ridge, which is illegal. “The pilot switches off the transponder as soon as he enters Tamil Nadu and only switches it back on once they cross Mukurthi. This is a clear violation of the rules of the Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and the pilot as well as the people responsible for organising this flight should be severely punished,” said an expert, who flagged the illegal helicopter ride.
The Mudumalai Tiger Reserve as well as the Mukurthi National Park are extremely ecologically fragile, and are home to rare and endangered wildlife species, including the Nilgiri Tahr, which could easily get spooked by aircraft flying overhead, said conservationists.
When contacted, a top official of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department said the department had not accorded permission for the aircraft to fly over the MTR or Mukurthi.
MTR Field Director D. Venkatesh said the flight operators had not shared details of the flight over the MTR or Mukurthi. “We have to find out whether they have received permission from anyone to fly over Mukurthi, and on what basis the permission was granted. We are investigating the incident,” said Mr. Venkatesh.
Experts said it was also strange that the flight logs do not record the destination from Mysuru to Korakundah and ascending the steep escarpments of Mukurthi is a significant risk for helicopters. “Due to the inaccessibility of the terrain, a crash in this landscape could prove to be disastrous, as reaching the site would be almost impossible for first responders, especially as the Forest Department doesn’t seem to have been intimated. The fact that the transponder was switched off should also raise the questions as to who permitted this flight,” an expert said.
Officials of the Nilgiris district administration on Friday evening confirmed that neither they nor the Coimbatore Collector had granted permission for the helicopter to fly over the Mukurthi National Park. They said the Forest Department is looking into whether a case can be registered against the operators under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, for disturbing the wildlife and trespassing into a protected area.
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Nilgiris / environmental issues / habitat (conservation) / conservation / forests
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