4 months ago
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Activists person demanded that the Nilgiris territory medication instrumentality measures to forestall deaths of operation workers successful the district, pursuing the latest calamity that led to the deaths of 3 migrant labourers adjacent Coonoor connected Saturday (January 17, 2026).
According to activists, determination person been 3 large incidents astatine operation sites successful the Nilgiris successful the past 2 years, which person led to the decease of 11 people, each from marginalised backgrounds. Since 2016, determination person been astatine slightest 5 incidents astatine operation sites successful the Nilgiris, which person led to the deaths of astatine slightest 16 people. All 16 radical died successful landslips and partition collapses astatine operation sites successful the district. Five much radical besides suffered superior injuries successful the incidents.
Venugopal Dharmalingam, honorary manager of the Nilgiri Documentation Center (NDC), successful a missive to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, called for the suspension of the Hill Area Conservation Authority (HACA). “The reckless mode successful which the committee sanctions gathering permits connected steep and unsafe slopes has not lone endangered the fragile ecology of the territory but has besides caused predominant deaths of mediocre operation workers,” helium said.
Mr. Dharmalingam alleged that radical person begun purchasing lands on steep slopes astatine inexpensive prices, cutting unauthorised roads, and “building monstrous constructions without immoderate cognition of slope stability, drainage, oregon cascading harm to little lands and habitations.”
“HACA was primitively conceived with the noble entity of protecting the elevation areas of the State... The main intent was to equilibrium the conflicting priorities of the assorted departments truthful arsenic to guarantee wide extortion of the delicate elevation areas. Unfortunately, HACA was converted into a gathering sectioning assemblage against the archetypal volition of the authority,” helium said.
Mr. Dharmalingam besides called for HACA to beryllium held liable for each accidents astatine operation sites, and said that the committee itself should beryllium suspended until a thorough reappraisal is made of its functioning and due safeguards are incorporated successful the sanctioning procedure.
When contacted, a apical authoritative from the Nilgiris territory medication said that the Department of Geology and Mining was liable for surveying operation sites and recommending information protocols that request to beryllium followed to forestall cave-ins similar the 1 that occurred successful Jagathala successful Coonoor connected Saturday. “It is our knowing that the owners of the onshore got support for operation of a residence,” said the official, adding that they had submitted a study of the incidental by the Nilgiris territory collector.
Another Coonoor-based activistic said that portion the Department of Geology and Mining whitethorn person the remit of surveying an country and recommending information procedures that request to beryllium followed, that the section panchayat and territory administrations request to inspect that these recommendations are successful spot earlier operation begins.
