Panel to devise plan to prevent deer deaths at IIT

CHENNAI: The southern bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday constituted a permanent joint monitoring committee to find amicable ways to deal with human-animal conflict inside IIT-M campus. The committee, which will have representatives from IIT, forest department and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), has been directed to prepare a comprehensive wildlife management plan. The tribunal has mandated the committee to meet once every month to monitor solid waste management and suggest remedial measures, besides submitting a six monthly compliance report. While calling recurring deer and endangered blackbuck deaths worrisome,

The tribunal chose to put the onus on IIT-M to mitigate the problem with innovative means. Official records show 291 deaths in the last decade. The bench, comprising members Justice K Ramakrishnan and Saibal Dasgupta, while disposing off the case filed by animal rights activist Antony Clement Rubin, has taken note of Express articles highlighting issue of solid waste management and concluded that garbage was the root cause of all problems as it attracted stray dogs, monkeys and in some cases causing death of deer that ingest plastic waste.

However, Ramakrishnan appreciated some initiatives of IIT-M, like facilitating monkey and deer proof bins. IIT-M counsel highlighted problem of solid waste dumped by residents abutting the compound and submitted that the institute is planning to put a tall mesh to prevent it. IIT registrar Jane Prasad also flagged her concerns.