Officials ignorant of laws

VELLORE: Government officials who are entrusted with the duty of protecting and safeguarding natural resources and the environment of Yelagiri Hills are ignorant of the rules and procedures intended to preserve the ecology of this quaint hill station.Enquiries with several officials by this newspaper about the rules applicable to Yelagiri Hills revealed that those holding important positions in the block development office (BDO), panchayat office, forest department, pollution control board and district administration were clueless.None of the officials in the above mentioned departments were able to give a clear and correct answer to a question: Are Tamil Nadu district municipal (hill station) building rules applicable to Yelagiri? Almost all officials said, “I am not sure” or “I will find out”.While a panchayat officer said he would enquire with the BDO, the BDO said he would ask the joint director of Town Planning and a forest department officer promised to ask his counterparts in Ooty. The irony was none of them were any wiser even after a few days.