Kerala tourism business limping back to normal as none have any time to think of conserving nature

Kerala tourism business limping back to normal as none have any time to think of conserving nature

Thanks to promotional activities by the state government agencies tourism is gradually limping back to normal over a period of time in the state of Kerala.The way tourists,both domestic and international have started flocking the coastal state makes you wonder whether this was the same state which met with the century's unheard catastrophe just a couple of months back!

Although the man made calamity took place on the night of Independence day and the tremors as a result of such traumatic experiences kept on being experienced almost for a month later it looks things have started improving for tourism in a very big way.At the same time the developments continue to reiterate that people in the business or those in the administration nor the political masters have least botheration about efforts to conserve nature.

Interestingly just a couple of weeks ago the same tourist situation on ground was totally dead opposite to such extent that all those involved into various types of tourism related activities were under severe threat of becoming paupers,had the situation continued in the same manner further.

Across the state most of all types of hotels,stay home facilities and resorts hardly had any occupancy or negligible occupation.The situation was so worse that even those who wished to hire a couple of rooms had to go in search of well maintained one's in different places.

Such was the reality as most of the rooms in 2/3/4 star hotels were emitting bad smell for not being functional since weeks.Even those hotels' having occupancy rate had the proportion in a negligible way while these rooms were available on the net at a huge discount varying from 30-50 percent!

For instance at the Haveli Backwater Resorts in Alleppey the well furnished rooms were easily available on the net almost for half the regular tariff.The same sort of situation prevailed even in most of the remaining towns and tourist places as well.

The prices of a variety of services was also made available at unbelievable prices.The facial which's usually charged for Rs. 900 was on offer for a meagre 200 while the fully body massage along with Shrodhara treatment had been drastically reduced to Rs 900 in comparison to the regular price of 2,500!

Even whenever you entered any small eatery or a big restaurant the reception was found to me amazing.It appeared as though they have been opened up especially for you since one could easily count the number of a handful of guests.

As a result you could also boast of experiencing the best of treatment from the hotel staff as they literally made a bee line to take orders and serve.A hotelier in Alleppey,internationally known for the snake boat race confessed:Ever since the holocaust the restaurant and hotel business has been badly affected.It's really very difficult even to afford to maintain the premises and staff.

While on the way back from a early morning stroll in the city also known for its backwater tourism related activities a boatman was found waving,literally trying to pester you to make use of his services.Thus was the sheer desperation just a couple of weeks back.

But now things have changed for better for business and not nature.It looks amazingly unimaginable that the same people of the state led a movement and also succeeded in the now bench mark movement for Silent Valley.
Prof Gopalkrishnamurthy is a retired professor of history of the Sri Shankara College in Kalady.He is also a environmental activist and a member of the Kerala River Protection Council.The council also brings out a trimonthly magazine 'Jalatarangam' and he has been on the Editorial Board since long.

He blasts the state electricity board for the present crisis:The Kerala State Electricity Board and Dam Safety Departments are more interested in retaining the dam water level only with the intention of generating more hydel power thus making huge profits.

Had they released water two days earlier the present extent of damage could have been easily avoided.Earlier never were all the Idukki dam crest gates opened for releasing water.And even whenever it was done so only one shutter used to be opened,he revealed.

It was for the first time such a blunder was committed thus inundating nearby areas across the river bed of Periyar also known as Poorna locally,opined Prof Gopalkrishnamurthy.

He was also categorical for the massive damage along the shores:Illegal sand mining is going on unabated.Earlier the water used to be stored due to the presence of large quantities of underground sand.But in the absence of the same it's difficult to expect the river to flow in its natural course.

Madhav Bhat,a priest of the Adi Shankaracharya birth place temple recalls:The temple premises adjoining the river banks was surrounded with water.But luckily not much damage done though the river was flowing in alarmingly dangerous proportions.

Murali,owner of Sri Lakshmi Bhavan in Kalady blames:The officials of KEB are responsible for astrophe as they released water in the middle of night on 15 August submerging paddy fields,many villages and the whole of Kalady town.

People lost household items,TV sets,fridge,washing machines etc as they had remained under water for days together.There are three medicinal and aromatic perfume factories in Kalady and crores of rupees worth raw materials belonging them got destroyed for going below the water,he regretted.

He also informed:Many wholesale textile merchants lost goods stored in godowns while people had nothing to wear nor anything to lie down upon or something to cover themselves as the clothing's,bed and blankets had all been marooned in water.

Apart from listing out the tale of woes many a people who have undergone a great hardship due to the ill effects of man made misery it looks none of them is ever bothered about their role as responsible citizens to avoid such tragedies in the future.

For all practical purposes Prof Madhav Gadgil committee report has been restricted to cold storage since decades.Even now there are no vocal voices to be heard for putting up pressure to implement the same.The report strongly recommended for a ban on human interference and displacement of population from the Western Ghats region.But so soon no one ever speaks about such issues in public and from the layman's perspective:Tourism business is bumping back.

Probably with such paradoxical situation on ground it looks God also cannot save his own country at any cost!

-Manohar Yadavatti