Tel: 0821-2515187; E-Mail: sgvombatkere@hotmail.com ___________________________________________________________________ 10 August 2005 OPEN LETTER To Sri DHARAM SINGH Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka Bangalore Hon’ble Sir, MOST URGENT Chamundi betta is a heritage precinct that is under severe threat from encroachments. The main reason for the prominence of Chamundi betta is the ancient Chamundeswari Temple at its top. People of all classes and denominations visit the temple round the year, making Chamundi Temple a pilgrimage destination and a heritage site, while the wooded Chamundi betta is an unmatched heritage precinct. In bygone days, pilgrims used to walk up the hill to the temple, but Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar had a motorable road constructed to the top so that even aged or ailing pilgrims could have darshan of Chamundeswari and offer prayers. It is only later that the idea and concept of tourism came into being and people went up the hill just to get a view of Mysore and the countryside from its top and view the temple as visitors. Chamundi betta is thus primarily a pilgrim site and only secondarily a tourist site. Chamundi betta is a holy place for Hindus, which is fortunate to have not only the traditional foot route with granite steps but also a motorable road. There is no need whatsoever for any other means of transport to the top, especially such means that will reduce the forest cover of the hillsides and form a fresh focus for encroachments. The proposal to construct a ropeway from the base of Chamundi betta to its top, purportedly to encourage tourism, has been opposed by most people of Mysore primarily because it takes away forest cover and in the present context, will be the thin end of the wedge of encroachment starting with construction workers huts and tea shops. On 09 August 2005, a delegation of over 30 prominent citizens of Mysore met Sri S. Selvakumar, Dy Commsr, Mysore, and submitted a Memorandum signed by them, addressed to the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka and the Hon’ble Tourism Minister of Karnataka. They requested Dy Commsr, Mysore, to take heed of the view of Mysoreans, oft repeated, that no ropeway needs to be constructed, and further that it is undesirable from the environmental and heritage points of view. The same Memorandum had already been submitted in person to Hon’ble Chief Minister Sri Dharam Singh, Hon’ble Dy CM Sri M.P. Prakash and Hon’ble Working President of JD(S) Sri H.D. Kumaraswamy on 08 August 2005 at KR Sagar by the same group of citizens. Mysore is nominated as a heritage city by Government of Karnataka (GoK) and Mysore is a centre for culture and education, besides tourism in South Karnataka. The money spent on a ropeway can be spent on many other works that will benefit tourism without impinging on the environment and heritage, both of which are the main attractions of tourists both from India and abroad. The money spent on the ropeway will not benefit tourism but on the other hand will ruin the environment and heritage value of Chamundi betta, and will actually defeat tourism. It has come to light that the proposed ropeway is in fact the result of a contract that GoK had concluded with M/s Sikka Traders way back in 1994. The people of Mysore opine that this contract was signed clandestinely in Bangalore without consulting the people of Mysore, and is devoid of any merit save commercial. The contract is said to be a BOT arrangement costing Rs.6.5 crores, and requiring 5 acres of land on Chamundi betta hillside already handed over to M/s Sikka Traders. The BOT arrangement means that after the agreed period, the ropeway will be transferred back to GoK for operation. It is understood that
the current condition laid down by GoK is that construction is to begin before 15 August 2005 and be completed in 18 months, and that apparently is the reason that Tourism Minister Sri D.T. Jayakumar announced the guddali pooja on 12 August 2005. Notwithstanding the fact that a contract may have been concluded, the people of Mysore oppose the ropeway and insist and demand (i) That the project be scrapped immediately and permanently on grounds of irreparable and irreversible damage to the environment and heritage of Chamundi betta and Mysore as a whole, and the contract be cancelled, (ii) That the land on Chamundi betta that was handed over to the contractor be resumed by GoK by 31 August 2005 and re-forested, And further demand (iii) That the area that has been suggested by MATF as a buffer zone for Chamundi betta be immediately notified by GoK as such, and fenced to prevent further encroachment, (iv) That present encroachments be removed forthwith, and (v) That GoK should institute an inquiry into the circumstances under which the contract for the ropeway was concluded without proper consultation. We request you to urgently pass instructions to concerned officials to stop the guddali pooja and move matters according to the demands made above. Yours faithfully, (Dr.H.A.B.PARPIA) (Maj Gen S.G.VOMBATKERE, VSM (Retd)) (Dr.BHAMY V. SHENOY) (Sri M. LAKSHMANA) (Sri GURU KIRAN) CABLE TV: MISUSE OF MONOPLY POWER (Aug 2005) Bhamy V. Shenoy Mysore Grahakara Parishat Any monopoly owned whether by the government or private companies unless regulated properly will extract undue advantage from helpless consumers and overcharge them. In the case of a monopoly, supplier is the real King and not the consumer as should be the case. In our city today, Cable Operators in Mysore with the exception of very few are actually acting as kings today. They are able to charge whatever they like.