Former Congress Minister Prof. BKC writes to Tourism Minister H.K. Patil

Mysore/Mysuru: Former Congress Minister and Chairman of the Karnataka Legislative Council Prof. B.K. Chandrashekar (BKC) has written to Minister for Tourism, Law  and Parliamentary Affairs H.K. Patil, expressing strong reservations over the proposed Rs. 2,663-crore Amusement Park at Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) Dam in Srirangapatna taluk.

The project, spearheaded by Deputy Chief Minister and Water Resources Minister D.K. Shivakumar, has already drawn stiff opposition from farmers and, he warned, could have severe environmental consequences. In his letter, Prof. Chandrashekar stated that he was writing out of “deep concern for the generally deteriorating environmental indicators” in Karnataka, highlighting the rapidly accelerating impacts of climate change.

Ill-advised project: Against this backdrop, he described the KRS Dam Amusement Park plan as “ill-advised” and noted the considerable public opposition it has already drawn.

Recalling his personal ties to the region, Prof. BKC stated that his hometown is close to both KRS Dam and Srirangapatna and that he attended school in KRS village when his father worked as an engineer in the Irrigation Department. “I continue to be in contact with activists involved in environmental issues, along with farmers’ organisations in Mandya and Mysore,” he wrote. Prof. BKC argued that the issue primarily falls under the purview of the Environment Department, even though Water Resources and Tourism Departments are managing it.

Undermining Nalwadi’s vision

He said the vision of late Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and Sir M. Visvesvaraya, who had planned Dam while preserving its natural surroundings, would be undermined by the project.

He warned that acquiring 500 acres for vehicle parking, along with the inevitable proliferation of roadside eateries and ‘dhabas’, would lead to “unhygienic dumping of plastic and food waste,” turning the area into a “landscape of filth.” He added that, based on experience, no Government body would be able to control such waste effectively.

Adverse impact on Mysuru

According to him, the development would also adversely affect the historic Srirangapatna and the “tolerably well-managed” city of Mysuru. “Sri Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and Sir M. Visvesvaraya would have, in all probability, disapproved of such a misadventure,” he remarked.

Prof. BKC said he presumed the Tourism Department had conducted an environmental impact study for the project and requested a copy, stating that such a survey “cannot obviously be a confidential document.”

He concluded by expressing hope that Government would “in its wisdom, shelve this proposal in public interest,” noting that extensive literature already exists on the adverse environmental impact of tourism-driven developments.