Yelagiri – Paradise Lost?

Yelagiri – Paradise Lost?

Ganga Prasad G. Rao
http://myprofile.cos.com/gangar


At first, there was light..........and then, there was the Eastern ghats orogeny, the remnants of which stand out over the plains. Yelagiri happens to be the poor man's hill station on Jolarpet branch of the ghats. I don't deny the beauty of the hills, the forests, the chirping birds, or the spicy breeze, but that's not the reason I write. What struck me about the Yelagiri is the pace at which it is being consumed. Yes, consumed by consumerism and 'development'. Majestic slopes, alas, punctuated by grotesque buildings of the wealthy – a view ruined for thousands of visitors because local councilors permitted construction on hill slopes better classified as forests. A lake, albeit artificial, with floating debris. A not so cool summer breeze interspersed with something familiar.....diesel vehicle exhaust. Plans are now afoot to build more vacation homes and lodges; new roads are being laid, existing ones being widened and a summer festival park should be ready this winter. What could be wrong with that? More over-crowded, smoke-belching buses and Tata Sumos running on subsidized diesel to stop our lungs from rejuvenating? More empty packaged drinking water bottles (Are Pepsi and Coca Cola listening) trashed in the lake and the adjoining park? More untreated sewage? More polluted water from washermen cleaning more hotel bedsheets for more guests? Loud music? Alchohol? Girls? Mountain tops as polluted as the plains (perhaps a perverse application of marginal economics?) Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes and Of course. Is this what we want Yelagiri's wilderness and serenity to turn in to? Sadly, the answer among the denizen of Yelagiri is 'Yes, because there is no other way'. They'd rather earn an extra few hundred bucks even if it means enriching landlords and contractors while sounding the death knell of the hills that has sustained them for centuries. Understandable, but sad, very sad.

The confluence of selfish motivations that, on one hand, benefits the chosen few in a direct, immediate and significant manner (with the connivance of local mafia/political leaders) and, on the other, trivially enriches poor voters but at the cost of permanent environmental damage. One could relocate the entire town to the foothills, but that would be impractical and obviously an overkill. There are more modest, practical measures that could stem the rot. A Rs500 per person entry fee from which to fund programs ranging from wilderness protection, moving environmentally dangerous activities downhill, garbage cleaning, and recycling activities and enforcing zoning regulations to ban, even reverse construction on scenic hill sides. An electric rope way from a bus terminal downstairs along with bicycles atop Yelagiri that provide an alternative to smoke-belching vehicles. Cottages constructed wood that blend in to the surrounding green.

Surely, it is not the lack of vision that stops us from acting? What is it then? Perhaps it is a lack of collective will or a failure to appreciate the damnation that is underway? Perhaps Yelagiri residents don't mind a Van Halen imitator strumming on on his electric guitar at the summer fest as the audience splurges on cheetos, coke, pepsi and hashish? The 'tribal' boys will sift through the garbage the next day. Collecting 100 recyclable bottles earns them a rupee with which they could buy a 'Boomer' chewing gum.

Three cheers to 'Development'!


ps: Most universities offer a course in development economics.