With the number of people looking for a break in the Blue Mountains steadily rising, Ooty is now presenting a crowded look with all the popular parts teeming with tourists.
For the benefit of the tourists, the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) has introduced ‘Park to Park' services.
With fares ranging between Rs. 5 and Rs. 10 the corporation has started plying buses between various tourist spots. any are finding the arrangement convenient.
Heavy inflow
The heavy inflow of tourists has exposed the inadequacy of the facilities in this town. Some of the tourists returning from Dodabetta peak told The Hindu that though the place was worth visiting, reaching the place was a daunting task on account of the traffic.
A tourist from Mumbai said that the time wasted in traffic snarls had upset his sight seeing schedule. He said that the authorities concerned should make arrangements like improving the roads well before the commencement of the season.
In the name of parking fees, we are being fleeced, some tourists said. Local residents said that the traffic related problems and haphazard parking subjected them to considerable inconvenience.
A grievance of hoteliers was that the bulk of the tourists comprised ‘one-day' or over-night visitors from whom the returns business wise was negligible.
Tourists said that the growing tendency among a section of the hoteliers to take visitors for a ride would in the long run do considerable harm to the reputation of the holiday destination.
A grievance shared by a large number of tourists was that they were not able to enjoy a ride on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) on account of the heavy rush.
They expressed the hope that arrangements would be made to run special trains between Udhagamandalam and Coonoor.
