Next time you visit Mullayyanagiri near Chikkamagaluru, the drive to the highest peak of the State may not be as tiresome as it was earlier. The Tourism Department has taken up the widening of the road, besides the construction of a retaining wall. However, construction activities have not gone down well with environmentalists, who have demanded they are stopped.
Hundreds of people visit Mullayyanagiri, that is an hour from Chikkamagaluru town. Many visitors can be seen on the weekends. The regular visitors often complained about the patchy and narrow road, apart from the terrifying hairpin bends. The drive to the peak also took a long time owing to the bad road.
B.R. Manjunath, a resident of Hassan, who visits the place at least once in two months said, “The widening of the road and the retaining wall was necessary. Driving on the stretch has always been a difficult task. Many have returned mid-way unable to cross the patchy path.”
D.V. Girish of Bhadra Wildlife Conservation Trust, Sridev Hulikere of Wildcat-C, and G.Veeresh, an environmentalist, have opposed the construction. “In the name of promoting tourism, concrete structures are coming up in the green hills. We oppose structures that harm the flora and fauna of the Chandradrona Parvatha ranges,” they stated in a press release.
The government has proposed to build a point for viewing, a watch tower, a coffee shop and a guest house. “On weekends, the entire hill range is occupied by private vehicles. We are told that many more such structures will come up in the future,” said Mr. Veeresh. He suggested that the vehicles be stopped at a point far away from the hill ranges and the Forest Department make arrangements to carry visitors to their vehicles so that serenity of the place is not disturbed.
