A century and half ago, Yelagiri Hills was a summer retreat for the English officers from Arcot and Vellore. The spicy North Arcot cuisine like the Avadhi biriyani made with short-grained rice, makkan peda (gulab jamun) and a smoked milk sherbet, a dessert, adorned the menus during their stay, according to history.
Now, history is set to repeat itself and this time, not for the English but for local tourists, as the Tirupattur district administration is gearing up to revive tourism on the hill station to generate the much needed revenue for the newly formed district. Job creation, both direct and indirect, is another aim of the new initiative.
“Local tourism will form a major source of income for the new district. The idea is to convert the entire district into a tourist hot spot rather than categorising certain places alone as tourist spots. This will also help promote local history, for instance, in Ambur,” Tirupattur Collector Amar Kushwaha told The Hindu.
Some features in the new initiative include creation of more recreation facilities, such as an open-air stadium, boat houses, separate parks for fruits, flowers and herbal plants, a botanical garden, additional tourist accommodation and better connectivity by means of better roads and frequent buses.
Spread over 80 acres in Pallakanniyur village, a tribal hamlet on top of the hill, the open-air stadium will comprise of separate spaces for volleyball, football, badminton, cricket, basketball and a swimming pool. The stadium will also have an open auditorium, which can accommodate 1,600 visitors. Further, the botanical garden will be coming up on a 25-acre plot in the village. The existing lake on the hill will be deepened, and more boathouses will be opened. Trekking trails will be marked out in coordination with the State Forest Department. A night safari is also part of the plan. Festivals, including summer celebrations and food and culture fetes, will be organised to boost the local economy.
Unlike previous plans, the new initiative is aimed at fast-tracking the proposals within a stipulated timeframe.
In this regard, land for the amenities have been identified with departments, including the Public Works Department and the Horticulture Department, roped in to speed up work. Officials have already started working on certain facilities, such as the botanical garden, lake beautification and the new boathouses.
