Birdwatchers in a flutter over restaurant at Nandi Hills

[Roopak Gangadharan]

So much for priorities ... A beautiful species getting wiped out forever takes back stage to a Common place Restaurant which is probably no different from a billion others. The aesthetic sense of the average Indian tourist seems to have evolved into Nonsense……...

Memorials for politicians inside Tiger Reserves, Resorts on Elephant migratory paths and now this.............

Roopak



BANGALORE: The city’s avid birdwatchers who find a haven in the Nandi Hills
— habitat to 125 bird species — are in a flutter over a sprawling restaurant
proposed by the Horticulture Department for this tourist hotspot.

The one-acre large food court, which includes a landscaped lawn, could
destroy or severely disturb the evergreen shola forests that are home to the
threatened Nilgiri Woodpigeon *(Columba elphinstonii)* and other rare birds,
according to ornithologist S. Subramanya.

With the Rs. 80-lakh open-air food court, planned to come up near the Old
School building, the Horticulture Department hopes to replace the eateries
that dot the hill station and reduce litter.

Nandi Hills has the distinction of being the only place outside the Western
Ghats where this large pigeon, distinguished by a prominent “checkerboard”
pattern on its nape, is found, said Dr. Subramanya.

He added that the food court could permanently destroy the forests where the
woodpigeons — as well as bulbuls, thrushes, warblers and flycatchers —
thrive.

The woodpigeon finds a place in the International Union for Conservation of
Nature’s “red list” as a “vulnerable” species that “has undergone a major
decline, which is thought to be continuing owing to ongoing forest loss.”

There is a small population of around 15 Nilgiri Woodpigeons in the Nandi
Hills, said Dr. Subramanya. “They are considered a ‘relic population’ and no
one knows how they came to live here so many kilometres away from the
Western Ghats,” he said.

http://www.hindu.com/2009/12/21/stor...2157910300.htm

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Roopak,
Thanks for this information. Every other day, we are getting one shocking news or the other. Unfortunately, most of the people have no clue as to what is good for the environment.

If reducing litter is the reason, then there can be strict instructions. The vendors can remove their litter, if they are forced to. Also, one can make it a no polythene zone. The environmental foot print of all those eateries combined is much less than the proposed muddleheaded food court.

Please let us know at what stage this plan is. We all can certainly raise our voice and place our arguments infront of the horticulture department and the concerned ministries.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Mrudul Godbole]

It is unfortunate, wilderness places will fast vanish at this rate. Nandi hills is fast changing to a tourist place. This will only make it more commercial, and all the wilderness aspect will be lost.

I hope by spreading the word, people will get aware and we will be able to force to stop it. Thanks for the information.

[Roopak Gangadharan]

As informed to me this will be operational in a few months and a plan has already been submitted to the PWD dept.This is further to the plan to start a Band stand in the same area supposedly to provide entertainment to tourists

The details of the authorities are given below, Pls raise your concerns for whatever little effect it may have........

Dr.Aswath , Jt. Director of Horticulture, Lalbagh Banglore
Email :jdhpgf@gmail.com

Roopak