Ooty town is losing its charm to unplanned development
Queen of Hill Stations demands curbs on illegal building
Udhagamandalam (Ooty) is known as the Queen of Hill Stations but Ooty town is losing its charm to unplanned development and mushrooming of illegal structures. Activists say land regulation rules should be implemented strictly as huge tracts of agricultural land in the fragile hill district are being converted into real estate.
“Building norms should be more stringent as the ecology is taking a beating,” says K Chandrasekar, secretary, Nilgiris Hotelier’s Association.
The massive inflow of tourists throughout the year is also having an adverse effect on the environment. Ooty receives about 24 lakh visitors, including 35,000 foreign tourists. And during the summer season, five lakh vehicles enter the town. Lack of employment opportunities continues to be a problem. Ooty constituency, which comprises two taluks and 16 panchayats, lacks employment opportunities. “Here, tourism means either running a hotel or operating a cab. We already have sufficient hotels and taxis,” says one of the residents.
Chandrasekar says tourism is the only real employment generator as the tea industry has been affected by fluctuation prices. “Tourism should be given the status of an industry with a council so that it will be more organised. The government should include the various stakeholders in the council,” he says.
On civic issues too, Ooty residents have a long wish list as the constituency has been largely ignored. To start with, the hill station needs a proper drainage system that connects with the Kodappamund channel running through the heart of the town. During the rainy season, which lasts for over three months, sewage gets mixed with storm water, leading to overflow on the streets.
B Senthil, a resident, says, “In the past two decades, no developmental work has taken place in the town. Subsequent MLAs, primarily from the Congress, have not done much.”
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