An appeal to save / restore greenery / lungs / trees, Chamundi Hills, lakes, parks and lung/open spaces of Mysore City.

NGOs criticise move to shift bus stand to J.K. Grounds [THE HINDU, Mon, May 15, 2006]

Frequent landslips at Chamundi Hills point to fragility of the eco-system [THE HINDU, Monday, May 22, 2006]

FRAGILE EARTH: Heavy rain caused a landslip at Chamundi Hills on Friday— Photo: M.A. Sriram [THE HINDU, Monday, May 22, 2006]

Online petition for conservation of greenery [DECCAN HERALD, Tuesday, May 23, 2006]

http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/may232006/district172182006522.asp

To:  The Hon'ble Indian Supreme Court (SC), Karnataka High Court (HC), President of India, Prime Minister of India, Chief Minister of Karnataka, Chief Secretary, Principal Secretaries (Public Grievances, Urban Development, Tourism, Transport & Home)

Save JK Grounds:

JK Grounds had a small lake/pond in the '70s, which later dried up due to concretisation.

Several full-grown trees were axed in and around the green JK Grounds in the '80s and '90s just to convert it into a barren land.

How did the authorities allow the present huge and illegal concrete structure (Platinum Jubilee Auditorium) and the petrol bunk to be constructed in violation of the law in the JK Grounds?

There are efforts to convert the grounds into a parking space for vehicles coming to the City Railway Station.

Many full-grown trees were also felled in the evergreen Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore, for constructing several mini indoor stadia just before the 1993 National Games.

MMC unfortunately has plans to construct a sports complex in violation of the law.

Therefore, any further illegal construction, including bus stand or parking complex or indoor stadium or sports complex or centenary building in the JK Grounds should be prevented at all costs.

The best option is to connect the KSRTC (sub-urban) bus stand, the city bus stand and the city Railway Station by a metro/mono rail. Will the persons concerned restore at least a part of the greenery of the '70s by planting trees in and around the JK Grounds?

MGP (Mysore Grahakara Parishat) an NGO says:

The proposed site has been classified under "Parks and Open Spaces" in the Revised Comprehensive Development Plan for Mysore. According to Karnataka Parks, Playfields and Open Spaces (Preservation and Regulation) Rules, 1985, the only building that can be built in a park is a small quarters for the watchman.

Also, Sec. 39 of the Karnataka Urban Development Authorities Act, 1987, prohibits conversion of any portion of parkland for other uses. So, constructing a bus stand on JK Grounds is not allowed by law. The petrol bunk and the MMC Platinum Jubilee Building, which have already come up on the grounds, are also violating the law.

MMC (Mysore Medical College) Alumni Association alleges that about 10,000 sq ft of medical college sports ground (JK Grounds), adjacent to the petrol bunk is allotted to the Devaraja Police Station.

Scrap ropeway project at Chamundi Hills:

Chamundi Hills' eco-system is already under threat due to encroachments

Ropeway project will add to the ecological stress

Citizens should rally around to conserve the hills that are an intrinsic part of Mysore's heritage

The project will be a precursor to other `development works'

http://www.hindu.com/2005/03/06/stories/2005030609010300.htm

http://www.hindu.com/2005/08/07/stories/2005080711460300.htm

http://www.hindu.com/2005/08/07/images/2005080711460301.jpg

ROADBLOCK (Picture): The ropeway project at Chamundi Hills in Mysore will threaten the fragile ecosystem.

http://www.hindu.com/2005/09/23/images/2005092314760301.jpg

CRYING FOR ATTENTION (Picture): Unplanned development is threatening the very existence of the Chamundi Hills in Mysore.

http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/aug72005/district18711200586.asp

Chamundi Hills' fragile eco-system is already under threat due to encroachments.

The ropeway project will be a precursor to the entry of land mafia and realtors, who will acquire land and encroach on the hills under the pretext of "development".

The Chamundi Hills is already under tremendous stress due to land encroachment at the foothills and construction works taken up on the top.

Thousands of pilgrims visit the hills during the weekdays and more than 20,000 during weekends. The Government should take steps to conserve Chamundi Hills and its ecosystem instead of implementing the project, which will add to the ecological stress.

Mysore is in danger of losing its green cover as large tracts of forestland around the Chamundi Hills have been encroached upon and destroyed. The hills are an intrinsic part of the environmental, cultural and spiritual heritage of Mysore.

Chamundi Hills not only provides green cover and lung space for Mysore, but is also a major watershed and helps in ground water recharge and regulating the micro climatic conditions.

Apart from destruction of a 2-km long/length 10-meter wide strip of forestland for the cableway/ ropeway, the construction of pylons for the cableway at every 50 meters will require clearance of forest on the hillside for access paths for construction and maintenance.

This will lead to further encroachment of forestland by construction workers' hutments and small/ petty shops.

The cable car stations at the two ends of the cableway will require large areas of land for the machinery, standby generators and vehicle parking space, and this will mean more land taken away from green cover.

Operation of the cableway will entail noise and smoke from generators, and there are also questions of safety standards, maintenance, risk and insurance for travellers, etc.

Garbage menace

Heaps of non-degradable garbage is being dumped on and around the hills.

Even today, the authorities concerned are unable to handle the garbage left by tourists and devotees at the top and on the way up to hills.

The cableway will add to the garbage on the hillside since passengers will throw garbage from the cable cars besides garbage at the top and bottom stations.

The hill forms part of the Green Belt of Mysore. After the Nehru Loka plan was dropped, there has been encroachment of the forestland and now the Green Belt is in danger.

The damage to the environment of Chamundi Hills and the heritage loss of Mysore will be permanent.

The project will be a precursor to other "development works", such as a safari park, which are in the anvil and will spell doom for the Chamundi Hills.

Encroachment

Several buildings have come up in the region increasing encroachment upon the buffer zone.
It is imperative to draw a buffer zone to prevent encroachment and conserve its pristine environs.

Cheluvamba Park: MCC has violated Karnataka Parks Act by constructing residential quarters (now converted into a toilet and a public urinal) there.

http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/Mar42006/district18455200633.asp

Curzon Park

As per rules, a park area cannot be used for parking vehicles.

But the hoteliers on the busy Harsha Road want a (10 ft) portion of the park to be earmarked as parking lot so that they can save their own basement space/area as they haven't kept it reserved for parking.

Nishad Bagh or Kuppanna Park: 10 feet of the park was encroached to park vehicles coming to Hotel Siddhartha.

People's Park: Many buildings have been constructed in violation of the law by encroaching into the Peoples Park since the '80s. A couple of years ago private buses and its passengers had encroached into a part of Peoples Park.

The rural passengers had converted the park into a mass open-air lavatory. Concerned citizens had to struggle a lot to evict these encroachers and to prevent this park from being converted into a private bus stand.

Football Grounds: After being evicted from the Peoples Park private buses had encroached into the Football Grounds. They were evicted from there with great difficulty.

In the '90s several full-grown trees were felled to convert a part of the Football Grounds into a parking space for the visitors' vehicles coming for the Dasara Exhibition.

Doddakere Maidan: A few decades ago this was a lake. But it was converted into Dasara Exhibition Grounds after denuding it of full-grown trees.

Karanji Kere Lake: A part of it has been encroached to develop it into a residential area by felling full-grown trees.

Kukkarahalli Lake: A few months ago several fishes died because of the contaminated or sewage water in the lake.

JLB (Jhansi Rani Lakshmi Bai) Road: A few years ago several full-grown roadside trees were axed to widen the road. The forest department had promised that it'd plant roadside trees beside the widened road that would grow like rockets. But it was not kept.

Similarly Vinoba road and the Hunsur Road were also widened by axing countless number of trees.

Traffic intersections/circles have been widened by axing trees.

Civic (MCC & MUDA), Electricity (CHESCOM), Telephone (BSNL) and Police departments keep butchering trees mercilessly either in the name of pruning / trimming / development.

T.Narsipura Road:
The authorities have now started widening the T.N.Pura Road. According to a source the forest department has given permission to axe 93 full grown trees out of a total of 130 trees.

Police Bhavan: This huge marriage hall was constructed after much controversy in the late '90s after axing full-grown trees at the foot of the Chamundi Hills.

Police Parade Ground: In the late '90s a compound wall was built around an open park beside the Sir Mirza Ismail Road and some trees in the middle of the ground were axed to convert it into a Police Parade Ground although one already existed in the Police Training College.

This ground now spews dust, noise and smoke of Police vehicles moving in and out of the ground disturbing the peace, serenity and tranquillity of the '70s and '80s.

To The Hon'ble
1) Indian Supreme Court (SC)
2) Karnataka High Court (HC)
3) President of India
4) Prime Minister (PM) of India
4) Chief Minister of Karnataka
5) Chief Secretary
6) Principal Secretaries Urban Development, Home, Tourism, Public Grievances and Transport.
7) Deputy Commissioner Mysore

http://mysore.12.forumer.com

Sincerely,

The Undersigned