Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s comments supportive of the ropeway for Chamundi Hills has resurrected a dormant project and riled activists who are opposed to it.
Mr. Siddaramaiah in his remarks at a function organised by the Hotel Owners Association and Charitable Trust on Saturday evening said that he had proposed a ropeway for Chamundi Hills years ago ‘’but was attacked’ by environmentalists’’ and hence it was dropped.
Those among the audience lobbying for the project egged on the Chief Minister to approve the project. In reply, Mr. Siddaramaiah said, ‘’We are prepared provided there was no opposition. So you also convince them (those opposing the project)’’ he added.
The Chief Minister’s comments has infused new life to a project that was ‘’officially dropped’’ by the then district in charge Minister S.T. Somashekar when the BJP was at the helm of affairs. Mr. Somashekar had stated that they would not press ahead with the ropeway given the public opposition to it.
Bhamy V. Shenoy founding president of activist group Mysore Grahakara Parishat said that the environmentalists will continue to protest and oppose the ropeway project as it was problematic on several grounds.
“When the world is facing existential climate change crisis, why should we add to the problem by harming nature. A short hill like Chamundi Hill does not need ropeway. Anywhere in the world where such ropeways have been built, they have become eye sore excepting in those places where other means are not available,” said Mr. Shenoy.
He said ropeway would be uneconomical and if implemented it may end up marring the beauty of Chaundi Hills and stop attracting tourists and thus prove to be counterproductive.
But he said that more important than the benefits or lack of it for tourists, the project would have a negative impact on the biodiversity of the ecosystem of Chamundi Hills which was fragile.
“This in turn will result in further deterioration of Chamundi Hill and instead of protecting nature for which all should strive for, the project will end up doing more environmental damage,” he added.
The ropeway project at Chamundi Hills is in the pipeline since decades and the activists are peeved that despite scientifically and environmentally convincing reasons to shelve the project the government was resurrecting it periodically.
