An off-the-cuff remark by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah recently that he was not averse to ropeway to Chamundi Hills has triggered outrage among environmentalists in Mysuru who are now pitted against the hospitality sector batting for the project. It has also brought to fore the ongoing tug of war between those lobbying to promote Chamundi Hills as a commercial tourist site and environmentalists keen to conserve the ecological integrity and the spiritual sanctity of the place.
Local NGOs like Mysuru Grahakara Parishat, Chamundi Betta Ulisi Samithi - an umbrella organisation of various NGOs opposed to ropeway project - are also questioning whether a project needs to be revived repeatedly despite going against popular public sentiment. The ropeway to Chamundi Hills is being proposed since almost 25 years and it gets dropped following a furore, but only to be revived again after a hiatus mainly due to the demand by the stakeholders from the hospitality sector.
During the silver jubilee celebration of their charitable trust, the Hotel Owners’ Association recently submitted a memorandum to Mr. Siddaramaiah who remarked that he wanted to implement the project but came under attack by environmentalists and hence had dropped it. The Chief Minister went on to say that he was not averse to its implementation provided there was no opposition to the project, but that was enough to trigger a backlash from the activists.
