KOCHI: Taking note of the spate of natural disasters that have affected the hill stations in the state, the Kerala High Court held there is an emergent need to regulate the unbridled inflow of tourists to such hill stations. The court suggested estimating carrying capacity and capping the number of vehicles and visitors entering the hill stations.
The court said, “A carrying capacity assessment can be done to guide policy makers and district administrations to devise a system of management of tourist areas in the interest of ecology and preservation.”
It also issued a directive to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the SDMA on the allegations of three persons who witnessed the disaster that the district disaster management issued no alert regarding extreme rainfall.
When the suo motu case initiated following the Wayanad landslide came up for hearing, a division bench comprising Justice A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Syam Kumar V M said hill stations in Kerala are among the most sought-after tourist destinations in India and the increasing number of tourists and corresponding unscientific infrastructure development in response to it, pose a grave danger to the spots.
Overcrowding or saturation of tourists leading to increased footfall, congestion, traffic and limited resources like water and electricity affect the quality of residents’ lives.
The court said the carrying capacity may be estimated using the available data with the respective district administrations concerning assessment of footfall of tourists per day during peak and non-peak seasons, assessment of the number of all types of vehicles entering the district during peak and non-peak season, available accommodation facilities determined from only the facilities that have all legal permits, together with parking space, to assess whether it is commensurate with accommodation facilities, and assess water availability in the district and determine the water that is available to tourist facilities after accounting for and preserving water resources for local use.
The court directed the government to file a report on October 25.
Wayanad tunnel road on HC radar
Kochi: The HC orally directed the government to inform it about any construction related to Anakkampoyil-Kalladi-Meppadi Tunnel Road in Wayanad. “There are reports that both the government and opposition are supporting the project. We may not be in its favour considering the environmental impact,” said a division bench, while directing the state not to commence any work without notifying the court.