THE PALNI HILLS CONSERVATION COUNCIL Endhawin. Lowershola Road. Kodaikanal - 624 101. INDIA 9th ANNUAL REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE PHCC The Palni Hills Conservation Council's Executive Committee met 11 times between June 1993 and May 1994. In the last Annual General Body Meeting the following members and Office bearers were selected for 93-94. They are: 1. Mr. Navroz Mody .. President 2. Fr. K.M.Matthew .. Vice President 3. Mr. R.Kannan .. Vice President 4. Mrs. Pippa Mukherjee .. Secretary 5. Mrs. Girija Viraraghavan .. Joint Secretary 6. Mr. C.Jeyakaran .. Treasurer 7. Mr. M.S.Viraraghavan .. Executive Committee Member 8. Mr. Jean Pouyet .. Executive Committee Member 9. Mr. Rom Whitaker .. Executive Committee Member 10. Mr. C.Israel Bhooshi .. Executive Committee Member 11. Mrs. Jaima Mani .. Executive Committee Member 12. Mr. J.Nath .. Executive Committee Member 13. Mr. S.Subramaniam .. Executive Committee Member 14. Mrs. Tara Murali .. Executive Committee Member 15. Mr. S.Ramachandran .. Executive Committee Member 16. Mr. C.J.John .. Executive Committee Member Membership: The Total membership of the PHCC as of 31st March 1994 is as follows: Life members .. 124 Annual members .. 66 Institution members .. 3 Total .. 213 Introduction As can be seen in the following report a great deal of work has been accomplished over the last year 1993-1994 within several area of the PHCC.s mandate. Not least the stabilising and clarification of building rules as per the new Master Plan for Kodaikanal Township of 1993. We hope to continue the trends set in this last year in future but look to the public for support to consolidate our efforts. It has been unfortunate that we have not managed to find anyone willing to take on the regular collecting and editing or material for a newsletter. Some work has been done in the Batlagundu office but we need a person who is interested to take on the overall responsibility. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME: The field activities in all (1. Beekeeping Project. 2. Water Project. 3. Animal Corridors. 4. Fuelwood Project 5. Kombai Project) the modules were completed as per the proposal and the Final Report was sent to Swedish Society for Nature Conservation in March 1994. We are continuing the Beekeeping Project. The Kombai module is progressing with the tree nursery activities and the literacy programme. A future proposal to reinforce work in all modules is under preparation and will be forwarded to Swedish Society for Nature Conservation for consideration soon. The following activities of Sustainable Development Programme are in progress: Beekeeping Module: At the Experimental Apiaries efforts are underway to find resistanct strains of Apis cerana indica, with respect to Thai Sac Brood Virus. Which at present is affecting bees in all the Experimental Apiaries except Kodaikanal and Vattakanal. It is proposed to improve Hive occupacy in all Experimental Apiaries by selecting and hiving strains of Apis cerana indica resistant to Thai Sac Brood Virus. Experiments with Top Bar hives and Alternative Technology will continue. Trials with different hive materials. volumes and designs, Keeping the Top Bar principle intact will be started soon. Co-operation with honey hunter tribes and processing beeswax will be priorities for the future programme. A study of the migratory behaviour of Apis dorsaca indica willo be undertaken with the help of honey hunter tribes. This may facilitate sustainable use of the rock bee in the longrun. Water Module: The monitoring of water resources and testing programme will start only when the new proposals are sanctioned. The testing will be based on Biological Water Quality indicators. An assesment of entomofauna of water resources will be carried cut in three watersheds. namely Kodaganar. Kudhirayar and Manjalar. It is proposed to conduct a study on the inland fisheries based on Irrigation tanks in the plains. The pond ecology and limonological characteristics of Kodaikanal Lake are to be documented in the future project. Providing clean, protected water supply by constructing dug wells in three tribal settlements at Siruvattukadu Kombai will form the implementation component of the water module. Kombai Project: The nursery work continues and there is a good response from farmers for our trees and plants. The literacy class for tribal youth is proceeding smoothiv. Field activities in all modules will start at this centre with the sanctioning of the new proposal. A Natural Resource Management Plan for protecting the habitat of the Grizzled Gaint Squirrel will be prepared soon. The data collection for the Natural Resource Management Plan was done last year through the Kombai survey. The data for Minor Forest Produce collection for the coming season will be monitored and entered in to the Kombai Survey for formulating the Natural Resource Management Plan. It is Proposed to have 2 more tree nurseries outside the Siruvattukadu Kombai enclave in the future programme. These will, in the longrun establish tree cover in farmers, fields adjoining the Kombai envlave and ease exploitation of the habitat of Grizzeld Giant Squirrel. Viloatty Village Project Report 1993-1994 has been a year of consolidation but has also been hampered by 2 severe cyclonee in November and catastrophic rain in April 1994 which demolished the compound wall of the project. Production and sales have been relatively slow this last year partially because price considerations have reduced marketing abroad. Hopefully this problem can be overcome by using new techniques to increase production and keep prices competive. Each section of the project has now identified its most saleable items and is now concertrating on producing these only. This includes candles, greetings cards and other items from the tailoring units. Other parts of the project, such as the Creche, Health Centre, Literacy Programme and After School Club continue to flourish but full participation by the villagers has yet to be achieved. Tailoring and Carpentary Training units are still very popular and thriving. This year 45 children have received sponsershio from abroad. Decentralised Nurseries in the Palni Hills Background: One of the Palni Hills Conservation Council's long term objectives is to establish sustainable land use practices around the Palni Hills. To accomplish this, the PHCC has been doing practical field work since 1986 by establishing nurseries, rehabilitating wastelands, and improving soil/water conservation on dry land farms. A PHCC subcommittee team consisting of Navroz Mody. Jean Pouyet, C.Jeyakaran and R.Kannan have actively working on sustainable landuse issues in the Palnis for over 8 years. PHCC Wasteland Development Activities: In 1987 PHCC's first centre was started at the Dindigul Municipality land at Odukkam. During the 1988 land management centres were opened in Nilakottai, Kudhirayar, Athoor and Viruveedu. These projects were funded by the Government of India. (NWDB). Through this the PHCC has built up a good team of watershed managers in different parts of the Palni Hills, to establish tree planting centres and to work with farmers in developing agricultural lands which are fast becoming wastelands. From 1990 onwards more nurseries were established in the hills to attempt to change landuse from the land degrading eucalypts or potato cultivation, to a more sustainable mix of fruit trees, fodder, timber, medicinal plants etc. I. Nurseries in the Hills: 1. Kodaikanal nursery was established in 1990 around the PHCC's office at Lower Shola Road. Fioneering work has been done in collection of shola tree seeds, germination, and raising of shola nurseries. Beside fruit trees like pears. Peaches and plums are also raised. Kodaikanal has a rich variety of trees that have been introduced from different parts of the world. Seeds of these trees have also been collected and seedlings raised for restocking. Kodaikanal is undergoing rapid urbanisation and growth in tourism. Consequently there is tremendous pressure to construct new buildings at the cost of existing trees in Kodaikanal. The aim of this nursery has been to continuously restock the tree cover of Kodaikanal by providing a rich variety of trees to maintain the beauty and diversity of tree cover in Kodaikanal. 2. Prakasnaburam nursery is also located within Kodaikanal Township, bordering Tiger shola, on a small farmer's land. It was started with the objective of making seedlings available to farmers in the area so as to reduce pressure on Tiger Shola and Perambukanal Shola nearby. 3. Pallangi Kombai nursery was started in 1991 on a small farm at an elevation of 1,000 meters and is bordering the Gundar Valley Reserve Forest. It is strategically located to supply seedlings to the farmers of the Pallangi Kombai (valley). 4. Pechuparai nursery was established in 1991. to supply diverse, indigineous seedlings to maintain the tree cover in this important coffee belt area. The Agrl: Dept, and Commercial Forestry people have been propagating planting of monocultures like Eucalyptus and Grevillia robusta (Silver oak), whereas this altitude has enormous potential for exploiting the diversity that is possible in this area. 5. Gundupatty nursery is located in the Upper Palnis in the village of Puduputtur (1900 M). This is a recent settlement for the Sri Lankan repatriates and bonded labourers freed by the Supreme Court: this place resembles a high altitude desert, with little tree cover and extensive frost. This nursery was started to help these resettled people to improve their landuse, and raise their income level in this extremely inhospitable environment. 6. Vilpatty: PHCC has a community project for the women and children of Vilpatty Village. Community centre activities, and income generating programmes are going on here since 1990. The tree nursery was also set up as part of improving the agricultural landuse of this village, and to reduce the pressure of wood cutting in Picnic shola and the shola below Vilpatty. 7. Siruyattukadu Kombai: This area is the home of the endangered Grizzeld Gaint Squirrel, and some of the finest moist deciduous forest in the Palni Hills. Around 300 hectares of agricultural land has been opened up for agriculture in the last two decades. During the course the survey it was realised that there was a need for improving landuse in the agricultural lands, would help the peolpe to raise their income level, and to be self sufficient in their fuelwood and fodder needs from within the agricultural lands itself as well as obtaining better value from MFP collected by tribal settlements. As education programme is also underway in this area. Around 21.150 seedlings have been raised during the past one year, and 12.026 seedlings have been distributed to the farmers. II. Nurseries in the Plains: The existing nurseries started 1987-1988 in the foothills - Odukkam, Athoor, Nilakottai, Kudhirayar have not received any project assistance however our effort to make the nurseries self-supporting from sale of seedling has made a promising start. The centres continue a close relationship with farmers in their areas to work towards a better utilization of land and water resources. The Seed Centre at Odukkam continues to collect about a hundred species of seeds for distribution in and elsewhere Tamil Nadu to various afforestation efforts across the country. The Center has become a focul point for NGO's and Government Organisations doing tree plancing in South India. A lot of them visit regularly and have adopted some of the technique demonstrated here. Many come because at the diversity both in seeds and seedlings and spread the message and valuable germplasm further. A good window on the PHCC activities in the plains. Genguvarpatty centre was started in 1991 at the Genguvarpatty village on the way from Batlagundu to Kodaikanal. The land belongs to the PHCC and was purchased with donation from a PHCC wellwisher. It is the aim of PHCC to establish an environmental centre in this place. A good water source has been developed to provide for the nursery needs. An arboratum, model agroforestry farm, education centre, nurseries etc, are envisaged for this centre. Capart Project A proposal for land/water management in Gundupatty (Kukkal platean 2000 m). Andipatti (Amaravati watershed) and Shantipuram (Vaigai watershed) has been sanctioned by CAPART and work has commenced on nurseries. Education and health programmes are also being initiated in the project areas. The project aims to work with farmers on degraded and difficult lands to evolve a sustainable landuse which could serve as replicable models for such areas. Appendix - Gives the brief summary of some physical achievements of PHCC from 1987 - 1994. Town Planning: PHCC's efforts to harmonize urban development in Kodai with its sensitive location and the severe strains in water and transport resources, led to the filing of a write petition in the Madras High Court against two establishments in town. Messrs. Pleasant Stay Hotel which had obtained permission for a ground plus one floor structure (to a maximum of 10m height). proceeded to construct further floors, arguing in court that the ground floor being measured by reference to the road level, was actually the sixth floor. The seventh being the permitted 1st floor! (The five other floors were there to hold up the sanctioned ground (i.e. 6th floor). The High Court has rejected such an interpretation which "no reasonable person can accept". The High Court further noted: "It is clear that from the beginning respondents 3 and 4 had been planning to construct a seven storeyed hotel with a project cost of Rs.5 crores and all the subsequent theoriee of a cavity in the foundation and the construction of five basement floors are nothing short of cock and bull story. If I can use the expression, to convey the correct meaning". The High Court also emphasized that irrespective of inventive definitions by builders "the ground-floor is the floor that touches the earth and the first floor is the floor above the same". The High Court's judgement will go a long way in clarirying for the Township authorities as well as the public the fact that the height of a building must be measured from the point where the building touches the ground, and the fact that the Master Plan supercedes all other planning regulations. PHCC has also represented to the government the necessity of regulating urbanization outside the Township limit. Old villages with scarce water resources are suddenly being overwhelmed by huge holiday resorts-some of which can only ofter their clients polluted water. PHCC has suggested that the process or giving building permission be made simple and transparent. So as not to inconvenience genuine builders residences which are permissible under the Master Plan. Strict adherence to zoning regulation and building restrictions will go a long way to ensuring a sustainable Kodaikanal, and serve the needs and interests of local people. Palni Hills National Park: The Tamil Nadu government has constitued a committee to look into the proposals for a Palni Hill National Park, a Sanctuary and a Zoo at Kodaikanal. The first two presumably based on PHCC's proposal sent some years ago to the state government. Mr.B. Vijayaraghavan IAS., Retd. is the Chairman. Mr.V.R. Chitrapu, Chief Wild Life Warden is the Member Secretary, and the Principal Cheif Conservator of Forests, the Collector Dindigul, and a representative from PHCC are the other members. It is hoped that the Committee will meet soon and finalize proposals for making the area already indicated by us, as & National Park, and the Siruvattukadu Kombai area is a Sanctuary, as also persuade the government to reject the proposal for making Mannavanur into a "satellite town". Secretary