Tourism Promotion: Kerala Style

Munnar is perhaps the most sought after place for a holiday in Kerala. Located at an altitude of about 6000ft from mean sea level, the climate of the mountains attracted British planters more than a century ago, who destroyed the pristine tropical forests to convert them into vast expanses of tea estates. Except for some pockets of settlement, most of Munnar is presently owned by the giant Tata Tea that occasionally changes its name to Kanan Devan Hill Produces Ltd.. Besides KDHP there are a few minor estates too. Privately owned land and Government owned (Revenue) land together is less than ten percent of the total area (??) as people say. Land is a precious commodity, saleable land is almost non existent and the only known method to acquire it is encroachment, forced and clandestine. Thus, in Munnar encroachment is the rule rather than the exception. As private parties know how to protect their holdings the Revenue land is usually the most vulnerable target of encroachment. Once in 2007 Kerala Government tried , for a change, to establish their ownership over revenue land leading to alarming revelations of high level corruption. Finally Government was forced to retreat from this noble endeavour. That it was not an honorable retreat is history now.

Munnar, with its air conditioned climate and breathtaking natural beauty makes it very hospitable for the busy city dweller to spend a weekend. Therefore, tourists in Munnar are not of the big money type, but ordinary people, professionals, middle class families, students and the like. They are not looking for expensive facilities but comfortable stay and convenient transport at affordable costs. Although there is a certain amount of exploitation in all domains, people accept it with a smile considering it as a natural price to pay for a an escape from the ennui of everyday life and a fine holiday.

This hill resort has two main arterial roads that connect the locations of tourist interest to the town. One is the State Highway, connecting Mattupetty, echo point, Kundala and Top Station. The other is NH 49 (Cochin Madurai road) passing through Devikulam, Gap Road, Anayirangal, and Pooppara. From these roads it is possible to go via estate roads to other interesting places like Golf Links, Silent Valley (not the famous one) and other lesser known places. Another main road that exits to Tamil Nadu passes through Eravikulam National Park, Marayur, the famous sandalwood forest and Chinnar wild life sanctuary. Of late the forest department of Kerala has been doing a good job, fencing up the forest neatly to prevent avoidable theft and encroachment.

The salient features of tourism in Munnar are: traveling through the narrow roads, stopping for a while at points where the road is wide enough,(these are called View Points) enjoying the wavy, emerald landscape dotted with silver oak trees against the backdrop of a blue sky and bundles of white clouds or an all-engulfing mist that clears slowly as the wind washes them aside. There were many such points for ordinary people to watch the awesome nature, be part of it and copy them to camera. One such spot was called “Echo Point” where the Mattuppetty reservoir narrows down like a river with the road on one side and a hill on the other. Children and elders used to enjoy their own voice echoing back with immense clarity at this point.

The Government , realizing the importance of this spot constructed a neat, long platform on the water’s edge with steps leading to the lake for people, including children to enjoy the thrill of this point safely. The picture shows the plight of echo point today. The water side of the road is totally blocked by shanty shops, preventing the visitors from even looking at the lake. If you force your way through the gap,(as I did, to take this photo) the scene is even more appalling (See the picture). The platform is closed on all sides with shanty shops selling trinkets, bangles, key chains and the like, besides mini hotels serving foodstuffs. Standing on the platform you cannot even watch the lake, let alone trying your echo. The well constructed tourist platform is now the verandah of the shanty shops. As can be seen in the picture the platform is empty on a busy day because the hawkers allow only genuine customers to stand there. The sundry tourist trying out his echo is quietly shown the exit. All the sides of the platform are now in the hands of illegal hawkers and vendors, apparently let out with the connivance of the local administration and political leadership. I verified with a forest guard managing a nearby check-post who believes that the entire thing is managed by politicians through criminals masquerading as poor hawkers. He does not rule out drug-peddling as one of the objectives of illegal shanty shops. They, with the tacit support of corrupt authorities, are holding the disorganized visitors to ransom .Now no new visitor would ever know there was an echo point here. Thus the Echo Point is dead. Long live the Echo Point.

If you drive a kilometre towards Munnar you reach the beautiful Mattuppetty dam full of sparkling water. There are no shops on the dam itself, but adjacent to it the trader’s town is built on either side along the entire sidewalk and parking space. Shops supply tea, coffee, snacks , fruits and tender coconuts, throwing the entire waste to their ‘backyard’ which incidentally is the dam’s Reservoir itself. The second picture shows the plight of the reservoir with all the waste and junk thrown in from the shanty shops.It is customary, nay fashionable, to blame tourists for environmental degradation. Here the tourists so far never threw any waste into the reservoir. It is now done by hawkers and vendors enjoying property rights on public places, with the patronage of corrupt officials and politicians.

The third picture is more interesting: This is a shop selling bangles, trinkets and other such essentials to sustain human life. A warning notice board of the KSEB forms the rear wall of this shop. This warning tells the public(you and me) that they would withdraw permission to pass over the dam any time without prior notice. Such an omnipotent authority has abdicated their responsibility in favour of criminals and antisocials who now rule the roost. What a shame!!!.I asked the shopkeeper how long he had been running his business in the premises. He said ten to fifteen years. These shanty shops were certainly not there during my last visit a couple of years ago. Obviously the politicians have taught these people to claim long term occupancy on the dam-site. If there is an attempt to clean up the place survival of the squatters could be upheld as the moot point. But the unanswered questions are, why KSEB, has abdicated their throne, and what the Revenue and Police departments are doing to stem the rot. Are they sharing the loot with the politicians, or, are they themselves the culprits? The citizen has a right to know.

The fourth picture is on the famous “Gap Road” on NH 49, beyond Devikulam. This place, with the frequent appearance and disappearance of mist, was a favorite place for visitors to watch the clouds. You can see the clouds down below between the valleys as from an aircraft. The view point has no more view, because the hawkers and vendors have shut off all the view. Now they ask you to move your vehicle away so that it doesn’t obstruct their “shops”. Picture shows how the genuine vehicles are pushed to the black top toad from the parking area. These vendors claim to have a right to do that as they have paid heavy bribes to politicians and officials in order to establish the business. I went to other areas in Munnar and found the same model repeating.

A silver lining in the dark scenario is the quality of maintenance and service at Rajamala. It will be unfair not to mention how neatly Eravikulam National Park is run. The forest department runs mini buses from the entrance to the deep interior, not allowing any outside vehicles to pass, after checking the bags of visitors to make sure that no edible substance is taken to the park. This is to ensure the safety of the rare Nilgiri Tahrs from frivolous and unscrupulous visitors. A few years back there was utter confusion here, due to chaotic driving and visitors claiming more than their due. Now tourists can spend as much time as they wish and return safe. Judging by the crowd and waiting lines one should presume that the project is quite viable and generates a reasonable income. This is in astonishing contrast to what is happening elsewhere in Munnar where politicians, given a chance, would establish hotels to serve mountain goat meat as a special delicacy rather than saving Nilgiri Tahr. This also shows that where there is a will there is a way even in a Government department. One wonders why KSEB has unleashed such a criminal anarchy in this place and why the Department of Tourism maintains this deafening silence.

I used to work in Munnar from 2004 to 2007, and I was a frequent visitor to these places, working closely with the revenue administration and the forest department on their Citizen’s committees. The administration had a commitment to clean up the places when illegal encroachments of this type took place. It is certain that some drastic change has taken place since then, where corrupt politicians with diabolic intentions masquerading as people’s representatives, working hand in glove with criminals and antisocial elements are torpedoing public interest and making profit out of the filth by dishonest means. They are holding you and me to ransom. It is time we woke up and called a spade a spade. Those who read this blog may please spread the news and create an awareness among the public. In God's Own Country what was once a small piece of heaven is now turning into hell. We have to eradicate this evil process of transformation.