Karnataka - Mysore   

Greens favour ecological approach to development of Chamundi Hills

MYSORE: The Government’s decision to “develop” the Chamundi Hills and earmark Rs. 50 crore for creation of infrastructure brings to fore the question of balancing the imperatives of conservation with “development”.

The concept of development as envisaged by the authorities includes creation of guesthouses, parking lots and infrastructure even as there are talks of reviving the vexed ropeway project.

But there is hardly any talk of retaining the ecological integrity of the Chamundi Hills by declaring a buffer zone to prevent further encroachment on its fragile environment.

As a result, the area is now caught in a tug-of-war between development and conservation and its impact will be detrimental for the city’s environment. The popularity of the Chamundi Hills among pilgrims and tourists has increased over the years, and the number of visitors increased from a few lakhs to 70 lakh last year.

Such a rush can only spell doom to the fragile ecology. But neither the Government nor the Forest Department has ordered a study in this regard.

Meanwhile, environmentalists are convinced that ecology and protection of the hills will be compromised in the quest for development though Minister for Muzurai S.N. Krishnaiah Shetty and C.H. Vijayashankar, MP, said in a recent meeting that development would be in harmony with the environment.

But what is intriguing is that the Government has decided to declare the Chamundi Hills as a notified area for the purpose of expediting development, while a plea for a similar notification for protecting the ecological integrity of the hills fell on deaf ears.

With the introduction of Dasoha or free meals for pilgrims, the number of visitors is bound to increase, which calls for special measures to ensure that the fragile ecology did not wilt. Environmentalists such as U.N. Ravikumar have advocated the imperatives of adopting an ecological approach to development. But the authorities have paid little importance to conservation of open spaces or declaring a 500-metre buffer zone around the Chamundi Hills. As a result, many residential layouts have come up and even Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) has carved out over 10,000 sites along the eastern ridges of the Chamundi Hills.

This means, Mysore’s growth, which was limited towards the western ridges all through centuries, will now be visible even along its eastern ridges and in a matter of years, “growth” and “development” will envelop the Chamundi Hills which will come to occupy a spot in “city centre” rather than on its fringes.

Though citizens’ forums, including Mysore Grahakara Parishat, Association of Concerned and Informed Citizens of Mysore and the now defunct Mysore Agenda Task Force pleaded for a 500-metre buffer zone and submitted a blueprint, the Government ignored it. On the contrary, it has relaxed land-use pattern, which is an open invitation to realtors and land sharks to step in. Hence, environmentalists have reiterated the demand to declare a “core area” around the hills to regulate construction activity and prevent encroachment. Similarly, they say the ropeway project could spell doom to the hills which could not withstand further ecological stress.

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