The Madras High Court on Thursday put a hold on heli tourism in Ooty, planned as part of the ongoing summer festival in the Nilgiris, till next week.
Justices Anita Sumanth and M. Nirmal Kumar, while hearing a petition against the heli tourism initiative, questioned whether scientific due diligence was undertaken before advertising helicopter rides, and why the Forest Department was not consulted.
Additional Advocate-General (AAG) J. Ravindran on Wednesday told the court that the State did not intend to fly helicopters on its own, and that the advertisement brochure was not printed by the Department of Tourism.