“The fragile eco-system and vulnerability of this bio-diverse region cannot be the victim of crass commercialism, that too in such an unplanned and careless fashion,” the Madras High Court remarked on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, while restraining the Tamil Nadu government from permitting heli tourism as part of the ongoing summer festival in the Nilgiris this month.
Justices Anita Sumanth and M. Nirmal Kumar disapproved of the steps taken by Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) and the Nilgiris district administration to grant permission to a private firm for conduct of heli tourism from the Theetukal helipad situated at a distance of about three kilometre from Udhagamandalam.