Mysore/Mysuru: Amidst multiple landslides at a couple of places on the Nandi Statue Road atop Chamundi Hill, a huge boulder rolled onto the road from the top of the Hill, causing concern.
Though it is not known when the boulder came down, it came to light yesterday when some morning walkers saw the rock leaning onto the retaining wall. As traffic has been banned on the Nandi Statue Road due to the landslides, the incident had not come to light till now.
Due to heavy rains, the soil has loosened up on the Hill and steady streams of water can be found in many places. Chamundi Hill is dominated by a rocky surface with many boulders protruding from the ground. This terrain has been a cause of worry to the residents who are living atop the Hill for decades.
Very recently, Mysuru District Minister S.T. Somashekar performed ‘guddali puja’ to initiate works to set right the portions of the Hill and its retaining walls that have collapsed due to landslides. The State Government has released over Rs. 10 crore for the restoration works.
Though the landslides occurred in 2021, the repairs could not be taken up till now due to delay in work order and also due to incessant rains. The rain should stop completely for the works to be taken up.
Overpopulated Mysore with massive numbers of cars, Mysore-Bangalore 10-lane Highway, Mysore airport expansion etc.. etc.. will ensure that Mysore is further populated, receive batches of unrelenting large numbers of visitors who all use their cars and large tourist buses to thunder along this stressed Chamundil Hill road, where the underlying Hill structure is crumbling fast as evidenced by earth slides and now this loosening of boulder from the Hill structure.
Within 5 years this wonderful Hill will be a crumbled mass of stones and earth lying flattened on the ground.
Well done Mysoreans. Well done independent India, whose population has overtaken China, as a report says.