HC allows music fest at beach resort with restrictions

The Madras High Court today allowed a music festival to be held at a beach resort here with certain restrictions, taking note of the concerns flagged in a public interest litigation (PIL) petition that it would affect the nesting season of Olive Ridley sea turtles, considered a vulnerable species.
The first bench, comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Abdul Quddhose, directed the organisers of the event to ensure that bright lights were not pointed towards the sea during the music fetival.
In his petition, Shravan Krishnan, a member of the Students' Sea Turtle Conservation Network, had sought to restrain the organisers from holding the event on February 24 as Olive Ridley sea turtles nested on the beaches of Chennai between January and April every year.

He had submitted that though these turtles were found in abundance, their number had been declining over the past few years and that the species was recognised as "vulnerable" by the IUCN, a conservation organisation.
Every effort should be taken to protect this vulnerable species from external agents during their nesting season, the petitioner had contended.
If the festival was allowed to be conducted on a makeshift stage, there was a possibility that more such events would be organised on the beach, in violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone laws, he had submitted.
The bench directed that the volume of the loudspeakers should be kept low and that there should be no vehicular traffic on the beach-side before or during the event.

It also directed that the event should be restricted to the beach resort and the spectators should not be allowed to go towards the beach.