Greens, heritage experts, public raise voice against proposed ropeway

Mysuru: The announcement of the ropeway to Chamundi Hill in the Budget has met with stiff opposition from all sections and an emergency meeting, convened by Save Chamundi Hill Committee, at Ramakrishna Park near Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Circle in city this morning, opposed the project and urged the State Government not to go ahead with it. Heritage experts, environmentalists, scholars, nature lovers and members of the public, who participated in today’s meeting, said the project would destroy naturally formed Chamundi Hill. They urged the State Government not to destroy the Hill in the name of development and said, “Let Chamundi Hill be as it is now. The Hill is a gift of nature, do not destroy it.”

Member of the Expert Committee for Development and Protection of Mysore Heritage Region and Convenor, INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage), Prof. N.S. Rangaraju said that in 2004, a Government Order stated that Mysuru was a Heritage City.

“Mysuru, Srirangapatna, Vijayapura and Kalaburagi were all heritage cities as per the Government Order. In 2014, 14 cities including Badami, Belur, Halebeedu and other places were included. In the same year, Bengaluru was also included in the Heritage cities list. It is now our responsibility to save our city and its nature,” Heritage expert Prof. Rangaraju said.

“Chamundi Hill has its own tradition and religious significance. There is no need to attract tourists and visitors to the Hill by constructing a ropeway. The Government is trying to make a business out of the proposed project and there is a need to save Chamundi Hill from developmental destructions,” he added.

Save Chamundi Hill Committee’s Parashuramappa also spoke at the meeting.

Former Mayor B.L. Bhyrappa, who too spoke, said that he had grown up seeing and visiting Chamundi Hill. He said that Chamundi Hill is full of delicate rocks and digging trenches or pits to erect poles will be dangerous. Ropeway project will lead to destruction of greenery and the Hill may turn barren. How can we bring back nature if it dies, he questioned and called upon Mysureans to unite and oppose ropeway plans of the Government.

It was decided in the meeting to hold a day-long seminar involving religious leaders, scientists, heritage experts, political leaders, environmentalists and others to discuss about the destructions of Chamundi Hill going on in the name of development. The date of the seminar will be announced soon.

Senior folk scholar Prof. Kalegowda Nagawara, Director of Clean Mysuru Foundation Leela Venkatesh, Foundation’s Leela Shivakumar, Suguna and Susheela, Parisara Balaga’s Anjana, Ramegowda and Prabha, retired Assistant Executive Engineer Manjunath, bird-watchers Shailajesh, D.H. Tanuja, Sadiq Pasha, Kusuma and others were present.