A Ropeway would reduce vehicle movement to the Hilltop and the Chamundi Hill Temple

By Dr. Kodira A. Kushalapa, IFS (Retd.)

• No more land should be released for non-forestry purposes
• A Ropeway would reduce vehicle movement to the Hilltop and the Chamundi Hill Temple
• City industrial corporates must join hands and form a Trust using CSR funds to implement approved activities including enlarging the green area.
• Establish a separate Range Forest Office for Chamundi Hill.

We, the citizens of Mysuru are fortunate to have a large area of Reserve Forest (RF) within the city limits, with a variety of plants, trees and grasses, absorbing carbon dioxide, releasing oxygen, providing shelter to many birds, animals and even fish in down-stream lakes. The temperature will also be 3-5 degree centigrade lesser compared to adjoining city area.

A small area on the top has been declared as notified area, where unplanned, haphazard construction of numerous buildings including school, guest house, residences, dining hall, vehicle parking, shops etc., have resulted in the accumulation and dumping of waste, short supply of water, degrading of the natural forests around and the demand for more lands on top in the name of development.

Under Forest Conservation Act-1980, no forest areas can be released without the prior permission of Government of India, for non-forestry purposes. This implies that no more land on top would be made available for any non-forestry purposes.

The development plan of Chamundi Hill should take into account all the above issues and restrict the plan to basic minimum and essential requirement.

There should not be any guest houses and other facilities to stay on the hill overnight. The number of vehicles going up should be restricted enforcing only bus journeys from below, by parking their vehicles in the parking lot.

A well-planned Ropeway would reduce the vehicle movements, provided its objectives are clear and established, not for a joy-ride but to help and reduce traffic movement and congestion. People might have seen in Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur etc., where  the cable cars are moving above the tall evergreen forests without any backup roads along the Ropeway.

What is actually required is to grow more suitable trees, preferably by removing exotic Eucalyptus, protection and conservation of soil and plant bio-diversity. Why not all the corporates enjoying the facilities in this beautiful city join, form a Trust, plan and implement approved activities, using their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds, thereby supporting the Government in the protection of our environment.

The fresh DPR (Detailed Project Report) has been submitted to the Government and this requires thorough analysis of various activities by an expert committee. About 90% of the area is under the Forest Department and managed by an approved ‘Working Plan.’ 

A separate Range Forest Office should be established to manage this valuable ecosystem rarely found elsewhere within the city limits. Record indicates that first “Tree Planting” was done in 1924!

Protect and Conserve Our Precious Chamundi Hill Ecosystem !      

e-mail: [email protected]

About the author: Dr. Kodira A. Kushalapa IFS (Retd.), M.Sc.F (Edin); AIFC (Hons); Ph.D; MSIF; FIAT., Commonwealth Scholar;  Former Regional Chief Conservator of Forests, Bhopal; Former Director, Indian Plywood R/T Institute, Bangalore and Former Chairman, Kodagu Model Forest Trust, Ponnampet.