CHENNAI: The Madras High Court directed the state government to complete the process of installing automatic number plate recognition cameras and boom barriers at all the entrances of the Nilgiris within three months to expedite the process of fixing the carrying capacity to the hill station.
A special bench of Justice N Sathish Kumar and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy heard a batch of cases regarding the protection of the environment and biodiversity.
Advocate General (AG) PS Raman submitted a status report regarding the measures taken to curb the development of illegal resorts and guest houses at the Nilgiris. It was submitted that the district administration has come up with a list of the authorised places to ensure the safety of the tourists and the list will be integrated with the e-pass, said the AG.
He also submitted that the district administration initiated the process of installing automatic number plate recognition cameras and boom barriers at all the entrances of the Nilgiris. All the measures including the integration of green tax coupled with e-pass will be completed within three months, added the AG.
After the submissions, the bench observed that all the measures should be completed by the end of February and directed the State to file a status report in this regard. The case was posted on March 4, 2025, for the compliance of the order.
Before the same bench, the State submitted that the Tasmac bottle buyback scheme will be implemented across Tamil Nadu by the end of April 2025.
It was submitted that the buyback scheme has already been implemented in 16 districts and Rs 46 crore has been collected as revenue under the scheme so far, said the State.
After the submission, the bench posted the matter to February 4, 2025, with a direction to submit a status report on the work pressure faced by the Tasmac employees on account of the buyback scheme.