Plea to halt auction of 300 acres of former HPF land in Udhagamandalam

The Nilgiri Documentation Centre, on behalf of concerned citizens of the Nilgiris, has urged the Chief Minister to stop the impending auction of about 300 acres of land belonging to the defunct public sector unit Hindustan Photo Films (HPF) and to declare it an Urban Buffer Zone.

In its representation, the Centre recalled that HPF was established by the late Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi for the development of the Nilgiris and its people. Though the unit failed, it provided employment to thousands of locals. The Centre said the State government should ensure that the winding up of the unit and the sale of its assets cause the least harm to a town already under tremendous pressure.

Pointing out that Udhagamandalam (Ooty) is hemmed in by mountains on three sides, the Centre said only the west remains available for growth. Public institutions such as the medical college and courts, as well as private parks and resorts, have already shifted westward to decongest the town. The HPF land is therefore critical to Ooty’s future expansion, it said, especially as the hill station is expected to draw far more visitors in the years ahead.

The Centre proposed that the developed land and existing assets be redeveloped as a forest-cum-tourism complex to handle traffic from the west and create jobs for locals.

It noted that the Board for Reconstruction of Public Sector Enterprises (BRPSE) had suggested returning some land to the state for public uses such as tourism and infrastructure while settling the banks’ dues.

Addressing the main creditors, led by the State Bank of India, the Centre said that while the banks were entitled to recover their dues, they also had a larger responsibility to preserve Ooty for the common good. It suggested they form a consortium to develop a combined Bankers’ Holiday Home using the existing buildings, which could benefit nearly two million bank employees.