Even as the district administration is working overtime in creating tourist-friendly environment at Courtallam during the ensuing season, the town panchayat’s latest attempt may mar it as the local body has sent a proposal to the Collector, without the consent of its Executive Officer, to increase the parking fee for cars from Rs. 20 to Rs. 30.
The local body has planned to collect a parking fee of Rs. 5 for two-wheelers and Rs. 20 for autorickshaws, which is in violation of a government order that prohibits collection of parking fee for these vehicles.
Present norms
As per the present norms of Courtallam town panchayat, persons who have bagged the contract for collecting parking fee should collect Rs. 20 per car for 24 hours as these vehicles enter the parking bays of Five Falls and Main Falls.
Even after the Collector, M. Karunakaran, and the Madras High Court instructed the contractors to follow this norm strictly, Rs. 30 is being collected per car, causing frequent fracases.
When such fleecing continued even as other tourist-friendly features in this tourist destination were gradually waning, the Madras High Court intervened and appointed an Advocate Commissioner to prescribe measures to be taken for making Courtallam more tourist-friendly and attractive.
The legal intervention, in fact, brought refreshing changes in Courtallam immediately after the court’s directive, but the decree has almost lost its sheen as months passed by, it seems, as inflated parking fee continues to be collected; no uniform and identity cards have been issued for these personnel; consumption of liquor in open places is rampant and discarded plastic waste can be seen everywhere.
Against this backdrop, the proposal to increase the parking fee has been forwarded to the Collector after the Executive Officer of Courtallam town panchayat refused to give his nod.
“We hope that the Collector would ignore this proposal as he would also not like his efforts to create tourist-friendly conditions in Courtallam to be disturbed,” said an official of Courtallam town panchayat.
HC’s move brought refreshing changes in Courtallam but the decree has almost lost its sheen as months passed by
