Despite stiff opposition from local residents and environmental activists not to go ahead with the beautification project in Kodaikanal, the Municipal administration has almost completed and given a ‘facelift’ to the lake, the most preferred spot for the tourists, among other locations, at a cost of ₹24 crore.
Following complaints from some of the tax-paying citizens that the works were being executed in a ‘hurried’ manner by the authorities as the season is set to begin, The Hindu team visited the hill station on Thursday.
Kodaikanal Municipal Commissioner S. Narayanan said that every year around 75 lakh people visited the hills from far and near. “We need to beautify the place. Of course, we have taken all precautions required to protect the ecosystem,” he maintained.
The civic authorities said that Kodaikanal being a tourist spot, there was a need for the facelift, which attracted the visitors. When 93% of the people here were dependent on the hospitality and service sectors and 7% on agriculture and horticulture, the government had the responsibility to spend its funds on renovation and modernisation of public structures at periodic intervals, Mr Narayanan said.
On the allegations that the civic authorities had neglected the laws and constructed permanent structures such as urinals within 50 metres of the lake, he said that they could not allow open defecation. Only three urinals existed around the lake, which was not sufficient. “Hence, we have built a few more urinals that is collected and disposed of safely by conservancy workers in the sewage collection tank.”
He rejected the charges that the urinals would get mixed or drain in the lake due to poor upkeep.
‘Give it to right people’
Members of the Palani Hills Conservation Council and INTACH in Kodaikanal said that they were not blindly opposed to beautification. But, the apprehension was that the civic authorities should entrust it to the right people, who had a better working knowledge and could give a mix of both modernity in the look and also preserve the ecosystem.
For instance, the walkway around the lake was not done properly by the contractor, they alleged and said that there were high chances of people having a freak fall. The government was spending several crores. “We are worried about the proper upkeep of the infrastructural facilities,” they summed up.
More than the beautification, the authorities should find space for vehicle parking as motorists’ parked on the roads choking free flow in many stretches. Likewise, they have to create awareness among the visitors not to throw empty liquor bottles on the wayside. They have to find ways to contain monkey menace et al.
The fencing around the lake was yet another point where the stakeholders and the civic authorities have completely different views.
While Mr. Narayanan asserted that the fencing was essential and at the same time it would not obstruct the view of the lake. Even children can have a clear view of the beauty of the lake, he asserted. However, Arun, a resident of Naidupuram here says that the civic authorities are wrong as the materials used to fencing would not last long and may cause accidents to the viewers.
The authorities have been removing the invasive weeds from the lake on a daily basis with a de-weeding machine. After drying them, it is converted as a manure and given to the Horticulture department for distribution to the farmers free of cost, Mr Narayanan said and added that Kodaikanal was adjudged the best in hill station category in the country in the Swachh Bharat Mission for its solid waste management project.
On the enforcement of banned plastic items, he said that many teams worked round-the-clock and cautioned visitors at Ganguvarpatti (in the foothills) and at Silver Cascade (entry to the hill station). On an average, 2-3 truck loads of plastic waste was sent to a private cement factory for safe disposal every month. In fact, on a pilot basis, the public were encouraged to use glass bottles for drinking water purposes and automatic water vending machines would be installed in seven locations where visitors can access free of cost including the lake.
The Kodaikanal administration, which provided potable water five days a week to the residents till 2019, gave water daily. This had become possible due to effective conservation and vigil, he claimed..
With the season starting shortly in Kodai, the civic authorities would deploy 50 workers on an additional basis to clear the extra garbage that is likely to accumulate. “: I can say with pride that not a single waste can be spotted on the main thoroughfares in the hill station,” he said and added that the revenue earnings had scaled up from ₹11.5 crore in 2020, to ₹15.5 crore in 2021 and stood at ₹20.4 crore in 2022.
The civic authorities welcomed suggestions and at the same time assured to go ahead with its projects in the larger public interest.
Published - April 09, 2023 09:00 pm IST
