Madikeri: Usually the common practice is to transport trash and litter from cities and towns to suburbs and dispose of them.
However, the hill-top town of Madikeri had a contrary experience in the recent past. Some alert citizens observed that trash and litter from tourist resorts located at places as distant 13 kms in Kedakal panchayat limits was being brought here and dumped by the sides of the roads.
Not only was the stink spreading around but also there were health hazards.
The dumped stuff included rotting meat, dry fish, broken bottles etc.
The matter was brought to the attention of town municipal council Shrimati Bangera.
She wanted to hold a spot inspection and waited near Aranya Bhavan at the entrance to the town.
As a tractor arrived, she intercepted it and took the driver to task. But there was of no use, since he was only following the orders of the employers.
Hence he was made to wait there. The persons concerned with the transport were asked to come to the spot.
The contractor was issued a warning and the trash-load was turned back to where it came from.
Speaking to mediapersons, Bangera said that this illegal practice of bringing trash from elsewhere and dumping in town had been going on for some time.
This has resulted in the environmental pollution in town and ruining of its beauty as well.
She warned that strict action would be taken against anyone indul’ging in such activity in future.
Auto Owners’ and Drivers’ Association president Medappa said that in other towns the trash was moved out while here it was just the opposite was being done.
Several loads of trash was being brought from places of about 15 kms away and the civic body had to act against the offenders, he said.
Green City Forum convener Cheiyanda Satya said that special efforts were being made to keep Madikeri clean and beautiful.
Dumping the trash in bulk in this manner could lead to breakout of contagious diseases, he cautioned.
Hence he appealed to everyone to desist from such practices, he added.
It is time Coorg said enough to tourism. The tourism dept wants to promote more tourism instead of regulating what we have to international standards. Resort licences should be cancelled if they do not have waste processing facilities. Not a single piece of waste should leave the premises of the resort. It should be incinerated or processed and used as fertiliser in their gardens. And now, to add insult to injury they want to build a railway to kodagu and cut lakhs of trees so they can add a severe water shortage to the existing problems.
Yes, Sundar Muthanna, your views need no second opinion. In this manner not only Coorg but the entire evergreen belt from B R Hills to Bandipur and Nagarahole including Wayanad in Kerala as well as the Malnad regions would soon become arid and parched lands…
These actions have to be strictly punished and all these money minting owners of hotels, homestay’s and resorts have to be educated about their responsibilities. Strict laws have to be brought in to stop this irresponsible tourists and owners. However I oppose the fact that bringing railways to Madikeri wouldn’t spoil its nature and we have many hill stations with rail services which can support that. People are cutting trees to build resorts and homestay’s and it is going unnoticed from environmental policies. I only see illegal and twisted coffee plantation owners and pseudo environmentalists posing a barrier to development.… Read more »