Members of the Chamundi Betta Ulisi Samithi (Save Chamundi Hills Committee) said here on Thursday that the ropeway to Chamundi Hills was not feasible or advisable and it would be prudent to drop the idea on technical and environmental grounds.
This comes in the wake of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s recent remarks that he was not averse to the idea of ropeway to Chamundi Hills if there were no objections.
Addressing a press conference in the city, Parashurame Gowda said that the issue has been discussed and debated many times in the past and experts from different fields have given their opinion against the project.
The committee members will also meet Mr. Siddaramaiah and prevail upon him to disband the idea of a ropeway to Chamundi Hills on environmental, geological, and other technical grounds, said Mr. Parashurame Gowda.
The Samithi also drew attention to the report of the Conservator of Forests dated 21/08/2012 in which it was categorically mentioned that the ropeway was not feasible as Chamundi Hills on various enviromental grounds besides pointing out that it had well-laid all-weather approach roads to reach the top.
Mr. Parashurame Gowda said more than 70,000 people had signed an online petition in February 2022 while over 50,000 people had physically signed during a campaign launched against the project and hence the public opinion was not in favour of the project.
The Samithi members also drew attention to a round table conference on Chamundi Hills conducted in April 2022 where in experts from different walks of life had spoken out against the project while technical papers were also presented as to why it was not conducive to have a ropeway to Chamundi Hills.
‘’The findings of these studies and papers will also be submitted to the Chief Minister to convince him that the ropeway project was not suitable for Chamundi Hills,” said Prof. N.S. Rangaraju of INTACH Mysuru.
He said Chamundi Hills was also a natural heritage and needed to be conserved while its environment had become fragile due to unbridled urbanisation on the hilltop. ‘’The hilltop has turned into a concrete jungle and any further projects under the guise of development will have a negative impact on the local flora and fauna besides destroying the lung space of Mysuru,” said Prof. Rangaraju.
Chamundi Hills also has religious significance and was integral to the identity of Mysuru and hence its conservation was of utmost importance while projects like ropeway, will ring the death knell to the fragile ecosystem and ruin the greenery, Prof. Rangaraju added.
The samithi members said for people of Mysuru there was an emotional connect with Chamundi Hills and it was also a pilgrim centre given the sanctity associated with Chamundeshwari temple.
The members also pointed out that the flora and fauna of Chamundi Hills had been studied by naturalists and it was a biodiversity hotspot all of which had to be conserved.
They also cited the view of author and Sarawathi Samman awardee S.L. Bhyrappa who had strongly opposed development of Chamundi Hills to promote tourism thus diluting its spiritual and religious significance.
