Govt. plans ban on private vehicles to Hill

• New vehicle parking facility to come up at five-acre land at Chamundi foothill
• Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy replies to Chamundeshwari MLA at Budget Session

Mysore/Mysuru: In a move aimed at decongesting traffic atop Chamundi Hill, the State Government has planned to restrict entry of private vehicles to the Hilltop and introduce an exclusive public transport system, once the new vehicle parking facility is built at the foothill.

Replying to a demand made by Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Devegowda (GTD), who also brought to notice the concerns expressed by environmentalists that the number of people visiting the Hill has exceeded its carrying capacity, during the ongoing Budget Session of the State Assembly at Bengaluru yesterday, Transport  and Muzrai Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that the Government is seriously mulling introduction of an exclusive public transport system for devotees visiting the Hill Temple.

In his written reply to GTD, Reddy said that Chamundeshwari Hill Temple is one of the most visited temples by devotees and tourists from across the country and abroad.

“The temple is also visited by lakhs of devotees during the Ashada month of the year, especially on Fridays. Also, the temple witnesses a heavy rush during Dasara and other festivities. As such, Sri Chamundeshwari Temple Development Authority has been formed with the purpose of integrated development of the popular hill shrine,” Reddy noted.

Continuing, the Minister said that the Authority, which is headed by the Chief Minister, decided to reserve a vast space of land for vehicle parking facility at the foothill during the meeting held on Sept.3, 2024 to decongest vehicular movement atop the Hill.

Subsequently, 5 acres of land out of the 58.03 acres coming under Bandipalya Survey No.19 was earmarked for vehicle parking facility for Hill temple devotees. Now, the Authority will develop an appropriate vehicle parking facility in this reserved land for the benefit of devotees.

Later, the Authority will introduce a public transport system by purchasing mini-buses or deploy KSRTC buses to ferry devotees to Hilltop, Reddy said adding that the existing vehicle parking structure atop the Hill will be utilised for providing better amenities and other facilities for devotees.