Citizens of the Nilgiris staging a protest in front of the Race Course gate in Udhagamandalam.

| Photo Credit: SATHYAMOORTHY M

Protesters gathered at the gate of the Ooty Race Course in Udhagamandalam on Tuesday, and raised slogans against the plans to develop the area into an eco-park.The 55-acre park, which is the last remaining notable green-space within the town, is to be developed into an eco-park, with multilevel car parking facilities, as was announced by the government recently. However, environmentalists who have looked over the proposal state that the area is to be developed into an eco-park in name only, as the species that are being introduced are non-native and will alter the wetland.The protesters, including civil society groups, activists, conservationists and local residents, stated that the plans were in violation of the Hill Station Building Rules, 1993, and were being pushed through without Hill Area Conservation Authority (HACA) or Wetland Authority clearances.They also accused the district administration of inaction, and highlighted the risk to water security in The Nilgiris and the downstream districts of Coimbatore, Erode and Tiruppur.The protest was organised by the Confederation of Environment Associations of Nilgiris (CEAN). In a press release, CEAN said that the Race Course regulates the storm water drainage of Udhagamandalam town, and that any plans to change its nature in the form of construction will lead to increased flood risk and jeopardise the safety of the town’s residents.Surjit K. Chaudhary, Chairperson of CEAN, a retired IAS officer, who took part in the protest, said that the government was the biggest violator of its own laws, and called for the plans to be scrapped. Shobana Chandrashekar, a local activist and part of the Make Ooty Beautiful (MOB) project, said that the wetland was not just the lungs, but also the kidneys of Udhagamandalam town, as they filtered the polluted sewage that flows into the wetland. “This area should be notified as a wetland and protected,” said Ms. Chandrashekar.Kannan Ramaiah, a Kotagiri-based activist spoke at the protest, urging the government to hold talks with local stakeholders before announcing such projects that could harm the environment. Published - March 24, 2026 08:23 pm IST