Dossier on Tourism Issues in Tamil Nadu

DOJJIEKOH WIN

Issues In Tamil Nadu

Cguoflons

Equations

MAY 1997

EQUATIONS

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Q&tei&i ok *?Q4&u&m: Iteem % laMutTtada

Contents

Introduction v

1. A Backdrop of Tourism Debate 1

2. Tourism in Tamil Nadu: An Overview 22

3. Emerging Conflicts: Tourism and Infrastructure 34

4. Tourism and Environment 48

5. Tourism: The Route to Socio-Cultural Chaos 72

6. Economics of Tourism: Truths and Myths 80

7. Politics of Tourism Development 90

8. Conclusion 97

Annexures

1. Tourism Demand No. 50 Policy Note 99

2. Maps as Makers of Ecological Change 112

3. In the Supreme Court of India 117

111

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&7i£> idea/ of /wit/my together* a/is infrniation/pacA on issues related to- tourism/ a£oelo/ynent in idamd

jVadu/ first emerged- uv (^4

tAose involved irv uru^erfstandng tAe changing

series/ ofmeetings- untA/ tAe alove nie/itiomd cross -section/ of people in ddamd Jladu/ uducA resulted in

t/ie production- of an S^ElA^^f^AO ^>ajb€r {Tourism/ Q)eoelop>merrt and SmAr^nmental issues:

(jlose flooh at idanul Jladu/ Ag jfiatAeef^ffizAisseri/. &7u& jfxijber coas presented at/ tdasnil Jladu,

Snvironment/ (joun^cd's' 'JPorAsA/f on/ C7~amil \sVadu/: <Sru/ironrnental issues

August {$$4.

I7t- um& uv ear/if 7£p<5, tAat dlari (j8a6a ftAe researcA£r and- author of this- docame/ttj ernharAedan a,
long and^grt^/ing/ visit oftdamd jVadtJorfirst Aand irit£rvirovs/ and visits/ to- various* tourism, sites (oe
And identified. idAe idea/ of tAe 0ossier- an ^ouris/n: issues
discissions coitA/ ad tAose udu> ivere interviewed.

O/ie of die di/emmas of punting, this Q/ossier togetherfvr &Jzzlv\id>dG"JVZj r urns- to- decide udietAer it'
sAvuld confut itsefto- nportuig' die deadofiments- dot' cue, thought were significant, or to- include alsa
our view- points' along audi/ such reportage. idAe m/Ararttage with tAeJorm^r method- was/ diat die
information; has to- Ae +nlg presented uv asi' "as- is-' oasis flasedon a/ certmi/t/ Aeliefi th*t die/^e- would
p^ohaldg Ae a/ under audience. 0ut, the alternative of presenting our view- point from die vantage
position' ofunderstandirig the urplications ofp+Atg options tahen> Ag die Government appealed to us.
yP&rex/is&ltAat tAep>ace at i/duidi/ me deodx>f^/rie/ds/ usere tcdtingpdace, it ujos imperative diat as an
organisation u/e could not tiiAe* a dispassionate view- oftAehmppenings tAat use are reporting.

idne Qjossier is, i/t/ tJt& words- of^ari y&avd , an atte/rpt to- a/i/ overall looh i/ito- STamU J/adu/ and its
toiuvsnv activities', OdAegeneral attitude' tahen/, as is- evident, i&> not' to- deter/nine tAe 'micro- - macro '
in tourism. Jlor i&' it' togict/ AooAea onto- tne devote/ of us various- f>rms '. JY*- empdiasis is Arid to
issues or regions' wAicA/ csu/d A& termed as specif t> case -studss. cdAe^ tArust is to- idesUi/f and' reveal
tourism boAcies and related issues.

ZTnis Qjossier- is- divided int*~ & main cAafter&. omtd oftAese chapters Aas asi/ essag/rom.

&J22lAid~x!ffi9-jVZr (vAi/cA; locates tA-e sfecifc/ issues

docrunesitation/Jor tAe positions dial me I ~> -re laAe/o on/ die- issue. We Aaoe in/duded material diMt> are-

SamtfatA

notfare^/ related to- touri^nv andt/us/ i& to- sAotn- tAe inter -linAqges/ oftAe>
tAe larger- det>eAfm£n6 fri&rities/ of

Srv tAe> ^4sisi&zzire&, we /uw& included tA&J/mgsn£nt> of
udiicA Aass leen o/faso&d issue in idamd^aau/.

mr& not Aard to- seeA, since' ootA art/ ta/ul -tfitrnsiite, mtmo — cultural and ' i/itsoduced' as fart of tAe near
economic dictum^ 'earn^forei^n'-eaxAuin^e/ at cuw/ cost', 'JPeAane a/so- included tA& Q)etadedQ)emand
Jor tfrant f%<?7 z9& made/ fa tAe> Minuterjor {Tous-ism?, in, tAe< last $ad<?et< /£^7 ^<5\ We
acAnoi/dedae- tAe efforts. oftA& Qoudpet ^CnaApuS'
anderstandina of tAe owrAi/m' of tAe Government.

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and idsnti/cca/ion- oft/i& issuer to- le tmAen-tfa tAis^ ajas^folloiovd, as< mentioned earlier- uxltA visits,
dusrussio??^ deAni/vs and farticifation/ in/ oarioa& seminars and otmfren^uS'. £7Ae S^Hd^/^/{9c/¥lf
team that axis involved toitA fflari Q8alw> were ^fAirlen- ^fa&an, &c W^Aasiaraf ^teezA^ra/.

ffle also relied- auite a- lot on/ tAe critiaue a/ul c+msnente' of

< d&ydu£&eri/ J (%sie^ ^ernsuides^ and Jf^yla^endran. l/fr a>a& during several meetings' autA 0/6 oftAeaAove

diat tAe^fnal sAafe of "tAe fretenf

tAa£> atejelt evere a// relevant. ^fection& oftAis- Qjossier Aaoe l^een presented/ at an/ ^/ido- -^4u&FraAa/i/

<Susnjk<>suuri, on- ^Tourism/, (jaA/^e/ and !Mosfi/zilitif; organised fa tA.e> 9Anioersi£y/ *f : JtA*dra& -

Qkcemler-yS ', ^PorAsAof on

tAe< l/joioer&itu' of .Madras - ^Vovemleryo, tAe WorAsAof on ooastal issues- organised 0^/ tAe ooastal

^tlon/ JletutwA - gFeA/rc/arp-y? '.

c^A/s Qjo&s/er- Aofoea to- l>ridgr& tAe infrm/i/ion^paf and initiate a- broader, intense discussism/ on tourism,
issues in STamd^adu;,

to- tAose> to- udtnyn/ tAe' delate- cvilloe' ofec v greater releoa/zce WAile aeAsuwlrdjiny tAe f&wet/enznce
ofsiari Qoalw over tuw-^ears/ in brisigi/ixp tAis Qjossier to-jiou, trae> a^Anoudedjementfor tAus/ coorA
uHHtld le^oa/ 1 - comments/, s/i^ge&tion& and ' criligae-.

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vi

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1

A Backdrop of Tourism Debate

An urge to travel has always been human. It has transcended race, sex and region and has
been a motive force behind both learning and colonising.

The earliest stages of human travel were characterised by needs of survival. Later humans
travelled in search of precious metals, raw materials, exotic items, knowledge and
enlightenment. With travels in search of spiritual perfection and contentment, pilgrimage
became a mass activity along with the advent of organised religions.

Industrial revolution paved the way for separating work from play. The labour class was
encouraged to see leisure as essential for their survival, as a means to recharge their
energies and maintain health. Leisure and play were identified as essential to maintain the
productivity of labour by the moneyed class who benefited by such productivity. This
convergence of interests of the wage-givers and wage-receivers necessitated legitimising
of leisure as an inherent right of workers.

The capitalist class (the wage-givers) later found that the very leisure of the mass of labour
can be used for increasing profit by managing it like any other industrial activity. The
result of it was that mass commercial tourism was now poised to become the largest
industry in the world by the beginning of the next millennium.

The debates concerning tourism are currently limited to a corner in the media and in other
public domain. Today tourism is projected as the new 'saviour' to solve developmental
backwardness of many Asian, African and Latin American countries. These projections
are coming from the same quarters that projected import-dependent export-oriented models
of development earlier, for the poor.

But looking further back into the history it could be traced that the accumulated surplus
earned by way of economic and political hegemony is also one of the 'motivational factor'
that makes tourism viable, though many of the 'studies' shun away from this reality.
Centuries of 'Human Trade', (the meanest of trade) of millions of African nationals is
something the 'new saviours' do not want us to remember. These were people with
flourishing peaceful civilisations while the whites were fighting with wooden clubs. What
is left of Africa today is the effect of the decimation of the young and most able Africans.

Not only slave trade but the wage saved by forceful and inhuman labour was the
foundation for colonies. Once colonised, loot of raw materials and wealth flowed, which
in turn gave leverage to the industrial revolution.

" 1

SfX4&**t&

If only a percentage of the total plundered wealth is returned to the erstwhile colonies -
African, Asian and Latin American people would not be strangling in the debt trap today.*
It is this wealth that acts as a catalyst to the motivation to travel.

The colonial rooted local masters do not want history to be remembered. The post-
independence period witnessed these renegades betraying the very cause for which the
martyrs laid their lives for. People-oriented and self-reliant economy was the dream of the
people. Instead the entire wealth and resources were left open for daylight plunder to
national and international agents.

A fundamental problem with the new model is that it is in no way different from earlier
models in its negative impact on people and nature. But such negatives are conveniently
hidden under rhetoric like 'tourism is a no-pollution industry', 'tourism is a service
industry generating more employment' etc..

It is better to understand these new models because they are proposed by the same experts
who provided misery to people in the name of progress through the earlier models.

Tourism- New Definitions

Studies could be traced encompassing the various and vivid aspects relating to tourism, its
multinational factors and policy formulations as tourism related activities turned more
intensified and sophisticated.

The psychological stress and uncertainty, disintegration of the family and community
living, are factors of yesteryears. The post-industrial period witnessed vertical growth in
tourism. This in turn intensified research studies too. The exponential growth of tourism
volumes, led to critical and in-depth analysis of motivational factors. These studies are
mainly Euro-centered since these countries are the 'sending countries'.

The major motivational factors that contribute to the growth of tourism have been defined. 1 "
"Post-industrial societies are characterised by a dominant service sector (the tertiary sector,
but also the advanced tertiary, quaternary and quinary sectors) and by the production of
knowledge (Touraine, 1 969). Technology, information, the speed of change, and a projec-
tion towards the future are all commonly accepted as features of post-industrial societies.

* In 1838, Montgomery Martin , calculated adding \2% compund interest to the money taken by Briton , from the State
of Bengal alone in 30 years as 72,39.79,917 pounds.The money 'hat flowed from India to British banks during the 57
years between the battle of Plassey and Waterloo was 100,00,00,000 pounds. ("Patebhedam " Malayalam fortnightly
No, 103. p. 20. Originally quoted from Mahatma Gandhi- The Early Phase Vol.1. Pyarclal).At the same time Britons'
annual capital investment abroad - in all the colonies together-averaged only 29 million punds. (Earnest Mandel, Late
Capitalism, p.50j.
{ Please note that the exchange rate of One pound is approximately 50 rupees , today),

? The following elaborate quoting of motivational factors of tourism in post - industrial society is only to highlight the
inter - relationship between tourism and soeio-polities and economics and not for a critical analysis of the same in this
document.

QteAdm, oh *7oivua*k; *)mum %_ *7<utui%kd6C

As defined by Khan and Weiner (1967), Bell (1973) and Touraine (1969, 1977) several
characteristics of post-industrial societies - but only those that differ from mass-consumer
societies and are particularly relevant to tourism - may be defined.

1. There is a continual increase in the amount of free time, but also the inclusion of free
time in the main economic sector. Although, social time has been recognised
(Rezsohazy, 1986; Zoll, 1988), there is more freedom of choice, different attitudes to
work and free time, including tourism. (Quantitative factors of budget time and
qualitative factors of evaluation).

2. Decentralisation of production, and gradual growth of tertiary and quaternary sectors
are present. This includes the emptying of inner-city areas and their growth of
significance for group rituals in free time and for culture tourism.

3. Mobility has become the key word to the working of the system (Touraine, 1969) and
the presence of conditions that make spatial mobility more intensive, frenetic and non-
stop (Knebel, 1960).

4. Characteristics of post-industrial societies include ideological threats and awareness,
the re-discovery of nature and the increasing interest given to places of forms of
tourism outside the traditional tourist circuit.

5. Growing stress is placed on the quality of new forms of social needs, such as
friendship and community life (Heller, 1975, 1978).

6. The final characteristic is the distribution of information through telematic and
television links in today's global village (Mcluhan, 1965) including decentralisation
prospects". '

While each of these categories may carry specific emphasis on nation, area and people, in
general it points to the factors relating to the mounting trends in tourism.

The increasing tourist pressure on both the 'host' and the 'guest' nations also have been
identified considering the rapid socio-political changes every nation is undergoing. New
tourism policies are formulated accordingly taking into account contemporary changes in
every nation leaving no space to bypass. Hence the policy formulations engulf the
disintegration of Soviet Union to the Gulf crisis. 2 The parameters are so chosen that none
of the individual nations' socio-economic situations go unchecked through the policy web.
The forced economic globalisation accelerates and justifies these policies on economically
weaker nations without the consent of the people.

The Indian Union does not have much of its population to fit into the above motivational
parameters. But a potential class is i n embryo especially after the economic liberalisation.

£aua£i&HA

But more than the tourists, it is the tourism related economic activity this neo-rich class is
aiming at.

Tourism in the present Era

' The tendency for those who are not poor to become sightseers in the world of those who
are, is one of the central problems of international development". 3 The sightseers of today
are the central pillars on which governments are building their hope for further progress of
the people in the new millennium. The traps of such a dependency are hidden in the
colourful brochures used for promoting tourism on massive scale. The economics of this
'sightseeing industry' are equally anti-people like any other panacea offered to them in the
past. The politics of tourism hinges upon creating dependent communities in destinations
and thus facilitate easy manipulation and destruction of such communities.

In the New Economic Policy and liberalisation foreign exchange has became the catch
word. Economic theories had started flowing from WTO (World Tourism Organisation,
the Madrid based outfit of the UN) and similar bodies, emphasising the need for tourism
promotion in Asia, Africa and Latin America as a means to achieve development.
It is predicted that by the year 2000 tourism would certainly be the single largest economic
activity, pushing arms manufacturing into second place in global industrial activity.

"The WTO sees the role of policy as the means by which government motivations can be
balanced with private sector motivations. This is primarily because it views tourism as one
of the few developmental options for the third world countries, and a means of
participation in the international trade in services, which form 70% of the GDP (Gross
Domestic Product) in the industrialised countries and about 50% in many developing
countries." 4 This WTO bait was swallowed by the Government of India in its National
Action Plan for Tourism (NAPT) 1992, which acted as the new policy direction for almost
all the State governments, especially those of South India.

The origin of the tourism economic myth making is the National Action Plan on Tourism
(NAPT) 1992 by the Government of India which states: " Tourism has today, emerged as
the fastest growing industry in the world. In 1 990, the number of world travellers was 420
million who spent over US $ 249 billion. Direct employment in the industry was 1 12
million persons and indirect much more. While accurate statistics are not available, the
figure of domestic tourists in the country was estimated as 62.3 million during 1990.
Tourists arrivals in the country during the same period were 1 .7 1 million, earning for the
country Rs. 2440 crore (US $ 80 crore) in foreign exchange. During 1991-92 foreign
exchange earnings were provisionally estimated at Rs. 3300 crore. The tourism industry in
India generated in 1 989-90 direct employment of 5.5 million persons and another 8 million
who were employed indirectly. Given these dimensions of international tourism and the
potential which exists in the country, there is tremendous scope for accelerated growth of
tourism industry in the country". 5

'DMiiez oh lowtemt *?44m$ % "7$m&%stda

But what tourism planners do not want to reveal in these figures, especially the foreign
exchange earnings is what is known as the foreign exchange leakage. Virtually the whole
of infrastructure requirements of tourism is controlled by the rich tourist sending countries.
It is the multi-national hotel chains, international airlines, tour operators and agencies who
take away the largest chunk of the foreign exchange earnings. Whatever is left is again
shared by the local affluent who are in collaboration with these multi-nationals.

The people who talk about foreign exchange earnings will agree that a couple hotels or a
few airlines will not bring tourists or foreign exchange.* Tourism requires roads, air
terminals, water, electricity etc. The enormous money required to build these infrastructure
requirements of tourism goes from public funds. Natural resources like water and
electricity which essentially belong to the people goes to the lavish misuse of this industry
while negatively affecting the lives and economic activity of the people.

The NAPT further adds: "Tourism conferred considerable socio-economic benefits to the
community thereby 'uplifting the quality of life 1 . It can further foster development even in
areas where other economic activities would be difficult to sustain.... The state has made
substantial contribution in the 'service sector' which is best 'left to private initiative and
investment'. The policy now would be to 'encourage private investment both domestic
and foreign for accelerated growth'...." 6

The NAPT 1992 is in tune with the diktats of the two WTOs - the World tourism
Organisation, the World Trade Organisation (the post -GATT global agency) - and other
global agencies such as the World Bank, IMF and the UNDP. In the scheme put forward
after 1992, Tamil Nadu is a 'prioritised state' for tourism development.

There is no proof to establish that tourism provides 'considerable socio-economic benefits'
to the local community. In fact there is enough proof to establish that tourism destabilised
local communities which were self-reliant. The trickle down and multiplier effect of
tourism so often bandied around by tourism planners were proved as mere statistical ploys
to fool local people.

The NAPT is in fact intended to 'uplift the quality of life' of the rich who can indulge in
the luxury of enjoying holidays. This is further reinforced by repeated statements by
tourism ministers and officials that they are concerned only with high spenders and do not
want backpackers in tourism destinations.

Economic ordering of the global village within a frame of 'giver-receiver, guest-host,
master-servant, rich-poor' is the hall mark of the present developmental strategies. This

* In reply to a question in the parliament, the then minister for civil aviation and tourism Mr.Ghulam Nabi Azad stated
that in pursuance of the National Action Plan for Tourism (NAPT), an* integrated plan to attract 5 million tourists by
1996-97 will require an investment of Rs. 39,000 crores !

£ma&9*(4

applies to tourism also. Tourism enforces a new form of dependency on the poor of the
globe by ordering them to become providers of pleasure space to the rich of the world.
Liberalisation, globalisation, and privatisation are the new slogans flashed on every
vantage point to legitimise this new hi-tech invasion of the living space of the poor people
all over world.

The naked destructive colonial plunder has given way to a more subtle and systematic
kind. The colonial period protected the feudal forces and obstructed industrial growth of
colonies. But in the neo-colonial era this strategy is discarded since the economic
backwardness of people is against the economic interest of neo-colonialists. By
programmed and monitored development of these regions, the purchasing power of the
people is enhanced, so that they could be the market for consumer products.

The astronomical arithmetic gimmicking of N APT and state tourism policies are necessary
to betray the people. It justifies the claims for mammoth funds in the name of tourism
industry and the flow of various aids and loans, in the overall plan to 'develop and loot'.
Other nations and time had proved that these economic aids would contribute nothing to
the receiving nation's economy. Only debt trap awaits the people and nation, while the
greedy politicians' foreign bank account swells.

Commodifying nature for pleasure

What started as travel from time immemorial has taken up the status of an undisputed and
ever growing multi-billion industry today. The emphasis given in tourism policies
increasingly vouches this. The post-industrial motivational factors in promotion of
tourism interestingly coincide with the post-industrial economic activities also. The shift
from extraction and manufacture to services oriented economic activities, which gave
considerable 'leisure and freedom' is considered as the major 'motivational factor'
favouring tourism. Neo-colonial economic mode did not wait long to commercialise and
capitalise this motive. "All that is left (in the period of late capitalism) is the dream of
escape through sex and drugs, which in their turn are promptly industrialised." 7

The increasing emphasis given to tertiary - service sector - is also not an act of choice. The
unconsented relentless plunder of nature and resources, the unacceptable destruction of
social life and environment, was the end product left behind by modernism and big industry.
Water, virgin forests, precious metals, nothing was spared in the pursuit of profit.

Lot of hue and cry is heard about 'natives' and tribals destroying forest for fuel and fodder,
depleting meadows by grazing. 'Learned' writers identify the aggressors of forest
resources in the following interesting order- tribals, villagers, the population explosion
(myth!) and only way down in the line -industry. This prioritisation itself is hypocritical.
If today, these people are conniving in the destruction of their livelihood, it is the planners
and experts who are to be blamed. Nobody asked for their consent when forests were

Pattern 6h ImnMtti: Oteued % *7amd'HcuU

leased out to colonial plantations, industries and mammoth dams. Pushed and cornered
from their livelihood regions, optionless they withdrew deeper into the forests.
Deprivation and poverty, meaningless laws, terrorisation by authorities, they are in a
'cultural paralysis' today. Neither can they protect their own culture nor could they
imbibe the imposed destructive culture.

Nor was any heed given to the mute cries and pleadings, occasional violent revolts of the
rightful inheritors of these resources. Instead they were forcefully herded into
dehumanised industrial slums. This plunder went on until the cruel realisation that the
saturation point had been reached. The sudden shift to 'protect nature' was unavoidable
and optionless and not merely science fiction.

Insult to Historical Knowledge, Life Experience

Mystification is a neo-marketing technique. Development programmes with hitherto
unknown vocabularies alienate the 'native' people from their live worlds. People become
'objects' to be 'studied' not equal partners to share knowledge. 'Experts' and consultants'
emerge with programmes and projects ready-made and universal, applicable to any corner
of the earth and people. Little heed is given to relate specificity to people; their culture,
values and habits imbibed historically. Biosphere concepts become universal, its
regulation - applicable to every region, whether the un-manned Arctic or the thickly
populated Tropics.

'Rediscovery of Nature' as a motivation seems genuine and innocent. Industrial onslaught
has left the planet almost barren. A look into the major Biomes of the world reveals
volumes. More than 90% of the planet's remaining tropical humid forests, tropical dry and
deciduous forests (including monsoon forests) or woodlands are spread in Latin American,
African and Asiatic regions. The region also covers the other 12 biomes. 8

Policy makers are unwilling to 'consult' the vibrancy the people keep alive, through their
harmonious and reciprocal relationship to the providers of their livelihood, nature. Earth is
not boulders, rock and sand to these people. Trees are not mere forest and log. When they
dig a hole, cut a tree they ask their humble forgiveness to the gods and goddesses who
preserve them. Every myth and ritual is related to their surroundings and food gathering
system. It is only through these life saviours, they are aware, their future generations could
continue.

This knowledge cannot be 'learned' from books or micro-macro jargons, since this could
not be experienced by none of the planners and consultants. Nor are the planners willing
to be part of their plan.

The second phase of the onslaught on the residual nature in the pretext of preservation is
on, as 'nature tourism' with theoretical justifications. The WTO duo (World Trade

7

Smatfatd

Organisation and World Tourism Organisation) diktat the impotent local leaders to act for
the entire people without their consent.

Now in the contemporary era of neo-colonialism, anti-people tourism policies get sanction
unchallenged by these same lobbies' blessings. Being pawns with no self respect they
accomplish all the 'dirty works' for tourism promotion paving way for various 'expertise'
in technology to 4 fly in' in the form of aid and loans, making sure of their sin-loaded
commission. Their latest bid is our remaining forest and nature.

When ecology occupies the centre stage to tourism related activities there is a complete
indifference to the life experience and knowledge of the people who lived and protected
these regions for centuries together

The dissenting voices querying the rhetorical justifications are always ignored or termed as
biased. Authentic studies from the 'victims' hardly get into the mainstream academic
circles, reason being obvious that they jeopardise tourism intentions of the states concerned.

Nature occupying the centre stage of tourism is not innocent. No tourism activities are
limited to earmarked areas. Infrastructure requirements pressurise the periphery. Carrying
capacity* is never maintained. Economic activities dominated by the affluent-class
destabilises the existing community relationships and consumerism results, with grave
cultural consequences.

Reading together the nature motivational factors plus the emphasis given to economic
activities in tourism policies, provides a glaring picture of where the impotent politicians
are leading us (people)to.

Land: For Survival or Pleasure

Land is not a growing resource. Therefore, the only possibility is conversion of land from
one use to another. The increasing emphasis given to hotels, resorts and holiday homes in
every coast, hill, dale and river side threatens the very existence of the local people. The
hike in land prices is beyond the reach of even the middle class, forcing them further and
further away from their traditional habitations and working spaces.

Tourism industry, government and private sector, national and multinational companies,
top military and civil bureaucrats are in the forefront of massive land grabbing. The local
people have become mute victims of the ever increasing land greed of this dominant
coalition supported by powerful political lobbies. Often the local authorities are helpless
witness to the land grabbing.

* Carrying capacity is the adverse impact a particular place at a particular time can ttlerate, which includes; environ-
mental, physical and perceptual or social carryi ■ capacity.

"D(mtm m *7<a&u4m; ^44am % *7&Mi£ %ada

Land is the prime element in tourism development. Tourism sees land as a mere
space for pleasure and destroys the last grains of organic relationship of land and
life. Land, the location and the mainstay of live world of communities is being
looked upon by tourism industry as a site for lazily lounging. The whole rhythm and
life processes in the localities gets disturbed due to conversion of land as a
commodity for tourism promotion.

The right of local people over land in the area which is definitely established through land
reforms laws is circumvented to convert it for tourism. The feudal land owner gets
integrated into the market chain and the tenants and tillers, often Dalits, are ousted from
land in the name of tourism promotion. The incapability of political parties - ruling and
opposition - to earnestly incorporate slogans like land to the tiller' and pro-people land
reform legislation in their political agenda signifies the undemocratic and feudal psychosis.

Change in economic interest of this class hinders land development for effective
preservation and upgradation of production possibiHties, since they are no more in
agricultural production. The justification given is the myth that agriculture do not
generate profits. All agricultural policies become defunct due to this attitude.

Infrastructure requirements of tourism industry leads to fragmentation and sub-
division of agricultural land, making agriculture impossible to even those who want to
retain it as occupation for a decent living with dignity and social status. The concrete
constructions right in the middle of agricultural land degrade it and make it
unproductive. The demand for more and more land for further development creeps
into the surroundings of tourism centres. Unable to resist the economic and cultural
pressures caused by tourism industry the local people ultimately abandon their life
processions and turn rootless.

While the land owning class gets co-opted in tourism industry and their land for
tourism development, the historical legitimacy the tiller of the land occupies, is
invalid and leaves whole generations pauperised and into forced slavery.

The direct fallout of these policies are immediate marginalisation of subsistence
farmers, the entire economically and socially weaker communities of the tourism
localities. Food dependency and inflationary pressures force them to become cheap
wage labourers in tourism industry or in the urban areas.

Food Dependency the Ulterior Motive

Tourism is one more weapon in the hands of globalises to enforce global dependency
on weak-willed nations. Terminology like Underdeveloped', 'economically weaker'
and strategies to measure every nation in dollar terms irrespective of nation, need and
culture specificity is part of this conspiracy.

£ma&m&

The transfer of agricultural land for cash crops and farm products with emphasis to cater
the export and urban market leads to food shortage, especially when traditional
agricultural land and irrigation facilities are diverted from staple food production. The
industrial plantations and the undue promotion and subsidies it enjoys in the proposed
forest bill 1994 is also another threat.* Hardworking farmers are lured to abandon
agriculture, instead the fertile land is being converted to cater to raw material requirements
of industrial houses.

The equilibrium of Indian agriculture was already ruined with the introduction of 'green
revolution'. Traditional cultivation and crop patterns were destabilised and seed varieties
capable of withstanding pests and climatic fluctuations destroyed.

The Junkfood Culture

Tourism and urbanisation has brought severe change in the food habits thus negatively
putting pressure on the overall transformation in food production to suit urban
requirement. The gravest threat of this change i s the disappearance of common species of
vegetables and food grains. 5 Traditional vegetables which used to be both the bread
winner as well as the nutrient to the rural population is found to be non-profitable since the
'hospitality industry' and urban requirements prefer non-traditional and 'English
vegetables'. The risk involved in growing and high cost of production of vegetables makes
them unaffordable even to the cultivator. The intake shortage is supplemented by costly
but poor nutrient generating foods. The Seventh Plan Document "Dietary survey by the
National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau reveals that nearly 50% of households surveyed in
different states of the country consume foods which is quite inadequate to satisfy their
requirement of either calories or proteins, or even both". 9

As agriculture and food production pattern changes, the junk food companies known as
Fast Food outlets are digging inroads even into the villages and rural areas. Multi-national
companies like McDonnell's, Pizza Hut, KFC etc., specialising in these kind of food have
already entered the Indian market. Besides negatively affecting our food habits, these food
also pose severe health, hormone and sexual deformities.

Commodification of Culture

Cultural symbols and artefacts have become major raw materials in the tourism industry.
Natural evolution of cultures becomes impossible in an environment where culture itself
becomes a commodity to be traded in the market place. The experience of major tourist

* The bill creates a category known as Registered Tree Growers. Once agriculturists are registered as such, 'any land
which is used by the owner for the purpose of plantation of tree species or for raising grass and other fodder shall be
deemed to be plantation forest and shall not be included in his agricultural land holding for the purpose of ceiling

laws'(Sec.38D). These farmers may receive subsidies and other assistance from the state' Critique of The Forest

Bill 1994. p.9,l§

To

T>&Mtm m ImnUm; tutm % *7&md%tdct

destinations show that there is a systematic deculturisation taking place due to commercial
tourism. Festivals and rituals which are testimonies of every land and people are now being
stage managed in the name of tourism promotion by Central, state governments and
tourism departments.

The value base of local communities collapses due to demonstration effect of increased
number of tourists from alien cultures wandering in the localities.* The social
disorientation and the diaspora it creates is unimaginable, specially among the youth who
become easy prey to alien influences. The productive force of youth gets diverted to less
productive or non-productive activities associated with tourism which may bring in a few
pennies temporarily.

The mounting unemployment lures the youth to criminal activities like drug pushing in the
hope of making fast buck. But once caught, their life is doomed. Being members of poor
families, the imposed fines being very high and the term of imprisonment often running to
decades, they along with their families are left to despair. Also in the act of drug pushing
these youths themselves become drug addicts.

The debates to continue

• Tourism is a planned and imposed economic activity

• Tourism policies and tourist locations are determined without the consent of the people

• Tourism imposes change in land-use pattern resulting in pauperisation of communities
and to food dependency

• Tourism leads to ecological degradation

• Tourism leads to deculturisation of communities

The way tourism is thrust on nations and people have to be understood and debated more
deeply. This industry spreads its tentacles to every policy our nation draws, every economic
institution, every economic activity and all walks of the life of people. We have generally kept
tourism debates out of our main agenda. It is high time we bring into focus of our debates and
draw strategies against this rootless economic activity before it is too late.

* Families living on the periphery of the full blown tourism centre Kovalam in Keralam are in despair. They could not
marry off their daughters because of the notoriety this tourism centre has for prostitution of both sexes and children.

End Note

1 Giuli Liebman Parrinello, Motivation in post-industrial Tourism. Tourism Social Science Series.
P.238-39.

2 Global Assessment of Tourism Policy, Tourism Research, p. 182-83.

3 Graham Hancock, Lords of Poverty, p.l 19.

4 Nina Rao, Tourism Policy:Need for Reorientation.EQUATIONS ANLetter Vol.3 p.4,

5 Extract from National Action Plan on Tourism 1992, Tourism Policy of India- An Exploratory Study.
EQUATIONS, p.40.

6 Ibid, p.40,42.

7 Earnest Mandel, Late Capitalism, p.502.

8 Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves- Nature & Resources - UNESCO.

9 Bharat Dogra. Structural Adjustment: Who Bears the Burden, p. 19.

Ill-planned Development Strategies
keep the Poor Hungry

ONE of the most disturbing trends
of the nutrition scene in India in
recent years has been the steady
decline in the availability of
proteins to poor people. Most of
the traditional sources of proteins
which are of special relevance to
the poor have been adversely
affected by development strategies
which have ignored the nutrition
needs of those living below the
poverty line.

For centuries the poor people in
most parts of India have met their
protein needs predominantly from
pulses. However, despite
increasing resort to imports of
pulses, the per capita net
availability of pulses has been
declining steadily.

The three-yearly average of per
capital net availability of pulses per
day (in grams) has declined from
about 61 grams per day during
1 95 1-53 to 37 grams during 1991-
93. It i s shocking that the biggest
decline occurred soon after the
introduction of the Green Revo-
lution in India - during the decade
1961-63 to 1971-73, the availability
of pulses declined drastically from
63.6 grams to 46.4 grams.

This happened to a significant
extent because traditional practices
of inter-cropping pulses (or other
legumes) with cereals was given up
in the quest for new, green
revolution varieties of cereals
which were considered unsuitable
for inter-cropping.

Incidentally, the earlier practice of
inter-cropping was also very
healthy for maintaining the fertility
of land. One expert has
commented that as this led to the
disruption of the traditional cereal-
legume diet which ensured
adequate and balanced proteins to
poor people, this measure should
be called the 'divorce of agriculture

"12

from nutrition.'

The data cited above is only the
national average data. Keeping in
view the steep increase in the
prices of most pulses, we can safely
say that the decrease in the case of
the poorest households has been
much higher.

In coastal areas, fish has been the
staple protein for poor people for a
long time. However, in recent
years, this has been adversely
affected by fisheries policies which
have emphasised mechanised,
export-oriented fishing while
neglecting traditional fisherfolk.

A research paper by John Kurien
and T R Thankappan Achari has
estimated that in Kerala, the per
capita availability of locally
consumed fish decreased from
around 19 kgs in 1971-72 to
around 9 kgs in 1981-82. The
researchers conclude that fish is no
longer the poor man's protein in
Kerala.

It observed that "viewed from the
perspective of the fish-eating
population of the state, more
investment for fisheries
development have yielded less fish
for domestic consumption." What
is particularly distressing is that
fish which provided proteins for
poor people has been diverted to
feed cats and other pets in rich
countries.

In the words of John Kurien, "The
main attraction of the smaller fish
(which provide protein for the
masses) to the deep-sea fishing
interests is that such fish are
available in bulk quantities. Given
the spiralling of world market
prices for fish meal, considerable
attention will be focussed on the
bulk of those smaller, lower prices
species for this purpose. Here
again, given the interests

controlling the deep-sea operations
when the option is between fish
meal for earning foreign exchange
and protein for the masses, the
choice is obvious."

Kurien feels that to believe that
deep-sea fishing is an effective
means of supplying protein for
masses is the result of a naive
understanding of the logic and
language of the market. "To
propagate such a policy
tantamounts to concealing purely
commercial pursuits by
proclaiming socially desirable
objectives,"he says.

In the case of dairy development,
the greatest emphasis in recent
years has been on increasing the
procurement of liquid milk from
rural areas. The village level
processing of milk into ghee
(clarified butter) and butter has
gone down. So the byproduct of
village level processing called
chach is much less visible today.
Earlier it was common for better
off villagers to give this chach free
of charge to workers and to other
poor families as it was available in
abundance. Hence availability of
this source of the poor person's
protein has also gone down
significantly.

This decline in the availability of
staple proteins indicates that
despite all the lip sympathy paid to
the needs of the poor, our
development policies still continue
to neglect these to an alarming
extent. While launching ambitious
development programmes, we fail
to take into account how these can
affect the lives of the poor, to admit
our mistakes, learn from them and
try to ensure that their requirements
get adequate attention through
sensitive re-orientation of future
policies and planning.

- The Economic Times • 13.08.95

Z>044tei m lomUm: Oum4 % "7mdi%tdH.

World events: combined judgement concerning likelihood of occurrence
and the importance of tourism policy formulation.

Political shift in the Eastern bloc countries to market Economies.

Escalation of terrorism and regional conflicts.

International telecommunication systems and databanks world wide.

Infrastructure-roads, airports-fails to keep pace with technology.

Airport facility limitations and air control problems reach crisis stage.

Increasing degradation of physical environment of host countries.

Deregulation of commercial transportation carriers becomes the norm in

developed countries with market economies.

Automated data retrieval interactive systems and data bank world-wide.

Advanced transportation systems predominate.

Global firms emerge and influence automated world economic policy.

Infrastructure investments require public-private partner ships.

Consolidation of the world's computer reservation systems - CRS.

Greater awareness of history, culture and patrimony in destination nation

areas.

AIDS and related communicable diseases reach epidemic levels.

Regional economic integration increases economic protectionism.

Regional areas of the world establish programmes to reduce pollution.

Two separate holiday periods dominant in developed countries.

The public and private sectors work together.

Vertical and horizontal consolidation of tourism industry components.

Increased growth in special interest influence.

Labour shortages and value shifts require organisational changes.

Border formalities of most countries eliminated.

World-wide stock market crash recurrence.

Public-wide stock market crash recurrence.

Public regulations over ecology discourage private investment.

The four-day work week and annual month-long paid vacations characterise

work patterns in most countries,

Communications and fibre optic cable technology advantage.

Increase in national and international peace movement.

Visitors responsible for preserving ecological habitats of the host country.

Non-traditional work lifestyles become common practice.

Iraq-Mid East crisis results in stabilising oil price at US $40/barrel.

Global Assessment of Tourism Policy, Tourism Research, p.182-83

13

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tonal ntfwotk vf biasphtre
is intended to ca**r hvsiematkatfy atf
fiioxeoxraphtcut provinces. Ahhrmxh exisifof*
tUssttkitiians *f their provintts have been
usrd so far. a more derailed and refined
t {ossification /t benr& worked wti for %uidint
the further development a/ the fttiw*rk.

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- / ""™">v ?<mp«r»te brcwdleaf forests

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^ijflJ, ;: . 'i\pS scrub or wo*dlan<Js

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; (inc)Udinj tnocwfl fcmtvui
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TropkraJ gTasstotdfe aiid savannah

Tentp«rait girattlands

Warrq dct^rU and semi-dtserU

*\ (Did winter fcontviwnUl* desert
* *• V and scw-dbscm

River *n;: hkt s-ysccffis

14

Z>0444m m *7o4vU4*k: luxeA % l&tkd'Hadti

World Bank's green economics

THE World Bank is giving shape
to its version of 'environmental
economies' through a number of
studies which are in varying stages
of progress. The Bank's World
Development Report 1992 (WDR),
which has as its theme,
'Development and the

Environment', is the very first of
such studies to have been
completed. The WDR in a way
provides the logic of the Bank's
environmental economics

There are statements in the WDR
which reveal the logic that "the
world has learnt over the past two
decades to rely more on markets
and less on Governments to
promote development. 'The World
Bank economists practise, neo-
classical economics. A market-
friendly approach, according to the
Bank, is a key feature of its policy
and research work programme on
environmental problems.

The Bank's latest Environment
Report-ihe second of the annual
series - states thai "as a first step, a
survey was prepared on how
environmental concerns can be
integrated into economic analysis
of projects and policies and that a
study thereon deals with four key
issues, viz. physical impact of
projects and policies, valuation of
these impacts in monetary terms,
the discount rates, and issues of
risk and uncertainly." The main
emphasis is apparently on methods
of valuing environmental impacts.
The annual report candidly submits
that 'The major need at present is
not for the application of the
existing methodology and
approaches to concrete problems
and that "this approach will be a
feature of the ongoing work in this
area."

By now the Bank has conceded
that a framework is needed to
account for natural resources

The World Bank is increasingly turning its focus on
environmental concerns. It has encouraged the consideration
of these issues in the ongoing revision of the system of national
resources accounts and has proposed the creation of
environmental satellite accounts as an interim measure.

consumption and to compute
environmentally-adjusted net
domestic product and

environmentally-adjusted income
since such measures would help to
recapture environmental services,
account for the depreciation of
natural capital, exclude certain
categories of defensive
environmental expenditure and
thereby provide better estimates of
the real impact of economic
activities.

The Bank has encouraged the
consideration of environmental
issues in the ongoing revision of
the system of National Resources
Accounts and has proposed the
creation of environmental satellite
accounts as an interim measure.
The Bank had recently published a
survey of the experiences of
industrial countries with various
resource and environmental
accounting approaches which
evaluated past experience and
which extracted lessons that may
be of value to developing
countries,

The Bank's work on fiscal
instruments to address environ-
mental degradation reflects the
general concern that policies to
reduce degradation have relied on
regulatory arrangements that are
difficult to enforce and distort
behaviour. The Bank is presently
developing an analytical
framework to evaluate the environ-
mental effects and economic costs
of alternative public finance
instruments in developing countries

with specific reference to pollution
control. One of the Bank's recent
publications, "Environmental
Policy and Public Revenue in
Developing Countries" puts forth
the following perceptions which
are controversial.

"The range of environmental
concerns continues to expand and
few sectors of economic activity
remain untouched. Yet claims on
public and private financial
resources are already large. How
then can environmental policies be
made more "affordable"?
Regulations and taxes can help
reduce environmental damage and
developing countries may be better
served by following the tax and
investment approaches to
environmental policy in most
situations rather than the regulatory
route followed by industrial
countries during the past century.

The Bank also proposes to examine
the \iew that environmentally
sound policies are economically
beneficial and to identify policies
that are compatible with sustained
development. It proposes to
examine at a later date the relation
between environmental control and
economic growth by constructing a
detailed model of these costs and
their consequences.

Another ongoing study at the Bank
deals with the issues raised by trade
liberalisation and attempts to
identify conditions with regard to
endowment of environment re-
sources, technology, demographic

15

£amU9H&

factors, distribution, etc. that would
worsen environment degradation.
The Bank hopes that the
development of detailed data on
industrial emissions will make it
possible to estimate pollution and
resource use of internationally
traded products with greater
precision than is currently possible.
The Bank is currently preparing a
survey of literature on trade and
environment. It has, however,
conceded that empirical work is
needed to estimate the magnitude
of the effects of trade liberalisation
on environment and to identify the
parameters involved. It is also
addressing a study on an opposite
trend, namely the effect of
environment policy interventions
on trade policies.

There is an emerging contention
that the decline in world
commodity prices relative to
income indicates that there is no
scarcity of natural resources (which
is the very antithesis of the Club of
Rome's "Limits to Growth" thesis).
It is interesting, therefore, that the
Bank has initiated research to
address the implications of the
prevailing commodity prices on the
market's perception of natural
resources scarcity. This study
proposes to examine the impact of
technological progress on the
efficiency of natural resources use
and its impact on the prices of
natural resources. Concurrently,
the consequences of changes in
resource prices on world trade

patterns are also addressed as are
the effects on developing countries.

The World Bank researches on
global environmental issues and
concerns are simmering in a
melting pot and cover a gamut of
vital issues like the global
commons and 'greenhouse gases'.
The Bank's researches will also
cover the significance of global
externalities (e.g. i) the effects of
global warming on agricultural
productivity, labour, migration, and
micro-climatic change, ii) the
effects of ocean pollution on
coastal fisheries and iii) the effects
of the depletion of biodiversity on
tourism and pharmaceutical
industries.

A major research-proposal will
cover rarbon taxes and tradeable
permits and implications for trade,
industrial location and transfer of
resources across nations. In this
regard, lo start with, research
programmes will focus on

- growth, retarding effect of
carbon taxes on developing
countries,

- the incidence of carbon taxes

- the design of carbon tax themes
and comparison with alternative
systems of global permit and

- design of an approach suited for

developing countries.

The serious limitation-and a very
serious one-that attends the Bank's
research efforts is that they are
solely based on neoclassical

economic analysis. The Bank, as
the prestigious journal
'Development' has commented,
keeps in view "only a single model
of development which accepts the
central role of markets." The
World Bank economists ought to
be aware that an "Alternative
Economics" is already on the anvil
and that this will have emerged
fully by the initial years of the
coming century.

The "Alternative Economics"
movement may enable to
systematically conserve earth's
resources. It places stress on
qualitative values and ethical
choices, duly recognising that the
first concern should be for a one-
world economy and no longer
wealth of nations and will enable
people to take greater control of
themselves. The development
paradigm that will be based on
Alternative Economics will
necessitate new ways of living that
will drastically cut the present
levels of energy-use and pollution,
new ways of organising work and
eliminate all kind of international
trade and debt that impoverish
peoples of the South. That,
however, will mark the birth of a
New World Order. But, for the
present, environmental economists
have to make do with neo-classical
economic tools, faced as they are,
with the "Hobson's choice".

- The Hindu - 27.01.93
K, John Mammen

16

Voteim m *?9mi4m: ^tetm % *7<md%ida

Neglect of agriculture

THE figures for the availability of
food in the Planning Commission's
mid-term appraisal of the Eighth
Plan reveal starkly the extent to
which growth in agriculture has
slowed down. Per capita
availability of food declined from
5 10 grams a day in 1 99 1 to 468 in
1 992 and further to 464 in 1 993. It
remains to be seen whether the rise
to 474 grams per person per day in
1 994 grams per person per day in
1994 is an indication that the
corner has been turned. On the
other hand, the ratio of pulses - a
source of proteins for most Indians-
to the population has worsened
continuously during that period.
What all this says, in a nutshell, is
that there has been little increase in
productive employment or
improvement in standards of living
for the majority of the rural
population. Indeed, far from being
given opportunities to escape
poverty, they have been

impoverished further by the current
lop-sided strategy to boost
agricultural growth. Sharp
increases in procurement prices
started first by the Janata Dal
Government were continued under
the liberalisation policy of the
Congress with the intention of
improving the terms of trade of
agriculture relative to industry, and
attracting higher private investment
in agriculture. The single major
consequence has been that prices of
common varieties of rice sold
through the public distribution
system have risen by 90 per cent
and the price of wheat by 70 per
centsince 1991.

It cannot, moreover, be said with
certainty that this is a short-term
outcome and the worst is over.
While private investment flows
have begun, they will not be of the
order or in the form to make a
substantial impact on agriculture

unless public investment in the
rural infrastructure and social
sector is raised dramatically. The
Planning Commission points out
that there was a fall in investment
in agriculture under the new
economic policy on top of the
steady decline in investment
throughout the 1980s. This gives
an indication of the huge gap in
investment that needs to be
covered. Where does this cash-
strapped Government intend to find
the resources? In irrigation, for
instance, the shortfall in approved
outlays for major, medium and
minor projects between 1992-95
has been in the region of Rs. 1,657
crore and available resources
appear to be disappearing entirely
on administrative expenditure. The
alarm bells rung by the mid-term
appraisal ought to be heard loud
and clear in Parliament.

- The Indian Express - 25.08.95

17

&om&6H&

Liberalisation threatening wildlife:
experts

The economic liberalisation pro-
gramme may have won India many
friends abroad, but it has turned out
to be a threat to wildlife habitats,
say international environmen-
talists.

Although tiger and other wildlife
habitats are fairly well-protected by
the country's laws, the Central and
the State Governments are
systematically abusing the laws for
increased revenue, they allege.

"Across the country, essential
forest habitat is being lost to mines,
logging, hydro and irrigation
schemes, power plants, orchards
tea plantations, and aquaculture
development. Legislation designed
to stop encroachment of protected
areas is being systematically
circumvented or ignored," Mr,
Dave Currey, director of the
London-based Environmental
Investigation Agency (EIA). who
was recently in Delhi, said.

Areas in and around national parks,
tiger reserves, wildlife sanctuaries
and even world heritage sites and
biosphere reserves have been
destroyed, reducing further the
habitat available for the rich fauna,
he says.

'The Union Government has given
the green signal to those who are
determined to exploit any of the
numerous loopholes that riddle the
environmental protection system,"
says Mr. Ben Rogers, a British
environmentalist.

A glaring example, according to a
recent EIA report, is the
construction of a large cement plant
by ACC on the boundary of the
Balpakaram National Park, in the
Garo Hills of Meghalaya, an area
that has the highest density of wild
elephants and other endangered
species including tigers, leopards,
pandas and sun bears.

"The plant and mine sites being
built by ACC will cover 14 km and
are located precisely within a
narrow and intensively-used
elephant corridor. Obstruction of
elephant movement will stop
essential gene flow between
populations, and increase human-
elephant conflicts," the report says.

The major lacuna, environmen-
talists say, lies in the guidelines for
assessment of environmental
impact issued by the Ministry of
Environment and Forests for
clearance of projects.

"The guidelines are vague on a
number of counts, and thus allow
the most obliging consultants to
certify minimum environmental
impact," says Mr. Currey.

Projects are rarely rejected on
environmental grounds. They are
usually given the go-ahead subject
to the fulfilment of conditions
including compensatory afforesta-
tion of an area equivalent to that
being lost, or for construction
workers to be provided with fuel so
as not to put pressure on adjacent
forests, or for safe disposal of
construction garbage.

"In theory, non-compliance with
these conditions should lead to
revocation of the clearance and
declaration of the project as illegal.
But rarely has such action been
resorted to," says Mr. Rogers.

What is more, several of the major
"protected areas" across the
country are yet to receive full legal
notification despite their being
designated as such.

Even if a protected area does gain
full legal notification, State
Governments can denotify it by a
simple resolution in the Assembly.

For example, the Maharashtra

Government denotil led about one-
third of the Melghat tiger reserve,
which was designated a project tiger
reserve in 1974 and is home to a
wide variety of wildlife and plants.

There is currently a stay on this
order after the Bombay Environ-
mental Action Group and others
contested the denotification. The
group alleges that the forest
department proposes to begin tree
felling and exploit the forest
produce in the area.

The picture is no different in the
Prime Minister's State of
Karnataka, where, according to the
EIA report, the Kudremukh Iron
Ore Company has been issued a
prospecting licence in the
Kudremukh National Park. The
park comprises about 600 km of
the finest "evergreen" shola forest,
rich in both fauna and flora and
supports a host of endangered
species.

The proposed $14-billion Sankosh
hydro project, on the Indo-
Bhutanese border, whose canal will
pass right through the core area of
the Buxa Tiger reserve in north
Bengal, will cut it into two halves,
with no gene flow among the tigers,
A similar situation prevails in almost
all sanctuaries and forests in the
country.

Environmentalists, however, are
not surprised at the Union
Government's leniency in such
matters," given the "indifference"
of the Prime Minister towards
environmental issues.

They cite an interview given by
Mr. H.D.Deve Gowda, then Chief
Minister of Karnataka, in June
1996 to a Delhi-based environ-
mental publication 'Down to
Earth' in which he reportedly said,
"I see no relation between
liberalisation and environment. 5 '

18

Vototet m Irn^Cim; *}uue& % *?4*h& 'TtaeU

My sole concern is that Karnataka
becomes number one in industries
in the country."

"The law is not at fault. It is the
failure to enforce it and the flagrant
abuse of it by the politicians and
industrialists, who are prepared to
sell the last square kilometre of
India to line their pockets," says
Mr. Rogers.

"Now that Mr. Gowda is the Prime
Minister, he should recognise the
long-term needs of India's people,
and its environment, and not cave
in to short-term industrial
interests," says Mr. Currey, adding,
"without political leadership,
India's tigers, rhinos and elephants,
together with many less visible
species, will disappear within the
next few years." - PTI

Forex earnings per tourist
decline by 7.5%

Foreign tourists are spending much
less in India than they used to
before. This belies the tourism
ministry's claim that international
tourist traffic into the country is
booming after several years.

According to the latest government
statistics, foreign exchange
earnings per head received from the
inbound international traveller has
fallen from $1245.16 in 1994 to
$1151.47 in 1995, a fall of over 7.5
percent in one year.

The actual earning per tourist fell
despite a 1 2.6 per cent growth in
the total number of foreign tourists
visiting the country during the
period, much higher than that
projected by World Tourism
Organisation.

The country received 18.9 lakh
foreign tourists in the calendar year
1994.

The total number of international
travellers visiting India the next
year went up to 21.9 lakh, with the
country receiving the two millionth
visitor with great pomp in early
December 1995.

In February 1996 alone, 2.2 lakh
foreign tourists flew into the
country, a growth of 17.1 per cent
over last February when about 1.8
lakh tourist has travelled into the
country,

Statistics indicate that arrivals in
1 995 outgrew that in 1 994 by 1 2.6
per cent, more than double the
WTO projection of 6.1 percent for
the region.

In contrast, total foreign exchange
earnings during the same period
grew at the rate of 7.1 per cent,
slightly more than half the growth
rate in the number of arrivals.

- The Hindu - 24.01,97 The 1 8.9 lakh international tourists

had spent about $2353.35 million
or Rs. 7366 crore in the country in
1994.

In comparison, the 21.9 million
foreigners who travelled into the
country the next year spent only
marginally more at $2521,74
million or about Rs. 8700 crore
(according to RBI estimates),
leading to reduction in dollar
spending per head.

This trend could put a damper to
the grand national tourism action
plan announced in 1992, which
pegged a next-to-impossible target
of 5 million international tourists
by the turn of the century. What
could be the reason behind this
trend?

The boom in business travellers
that is choking the hotels in the
metros, as well as loss of shine
from the traditional tourist spots,
are the major factors, say industry
observers. Since metro cities are
the primary distributing centres for
the tourist traffic into the interior of
the country, lack of hotel rooms in
these cities are discouraging the
genuine leisure tourist.

Shashank Warty, area general
manager, of the Taj group, says:
"Where are rooms in Delhi.
Bombay and Madras?

Hotels are running full occupancy,
mostly due to the business
traveller, in these cities. But the
off -city spots are still seeing lesser
number of tourists, and fewer still
are spending on room nights".

Likewise, Ashok Antaram, vice
president marketing of ITC Hotels,
attributes the reduction in the per
head forex earnings to, what he
calls, "depressed leisure circuits".

A combination of factors,
according to him, has reduced

19

S&UAttAHd

returns from these traditional
tourist areas which had been the
primary forex earning centres for
our tourism industry.

He picks out three factors:

a) Room tariffs in the leisure
locations, such as Agra, Jaipur, etc,
have been forced to remain steady
due to reduced demand, thereby
reducing real rates with increasing
inflation.

As a result, returns from these
traditional tourist circuits have
fallen;

b) Increase in sheer number hides
the fact that the proportion of
backpackers and low middle
income groups among the
international traveller has risen;

c) Higher inflow of foreign tourists
also subsumes the growing traffic
from our neighbouring countries
like Nepal, Pakistan and
Bangladesh, thanks to economic
reforms in these countries.
Although a welcome trend, the per
capita income of these travellers
are much lower than the average
European or American; hence
earning perhead is falling.

- Business St*nd*rd - 1 1.03.96,
Krishnnkoli Duttn

Tourism Dept favours Land Ceiling
exemption for hotels

RECOGNISING CONSTRAINTS
like limited land availability and a
crunch on financial resources, the
Department of Tourism has
advocated a comprehensive
package of incentives to encourage
private investment in the sector.

Among the major proposals are
exemption to tourism projects from
the Urban Land Ceiling Act,
permission to raise room capacity
in existing hotels, allowing change
of land use, wide-ranging subsidies

It has reasoned that the industry has
the capacity to generate large-scale
employment, even in the most
backward and remote regions of
thecountry. Natural resources like
rivers, beaches, mountains, as well
as heritage properties, ancient
monuments, forts, etc, all offer
scope for sustainable economic
exploitation without damaging the
environment or upsetting the
ecological balance, it has asserted.

While international tourist traffic to

PROPOSE* INCENTIVES FOR TOURISM PROJECTS

)* Land on 99-year lease for tourism projects

^ FAR/FSI relaxation for hotel capacity expansion

^ Expenditure tax on room rent only

^" Capital gains exemption on sale of land for hotels

>• Interest subsidy for hotels, airports/air services

^ Sec 80 HHD exemption forex re-invested in renovations

> Sec 80 IA benefit to hotels set up after March *95

P* Export house status for forex-e*ming hotels/ restaurants

for hotels, air services, etc.

The proposals have been made in a
paper on "National strategy for
tourism development" prepared by
the Department for rapid progress
of the industry by the year 2000.

The paper has not been submitted
to the fyfinistry of Civil Aviation
and Tourism yet.

The Department has made out a
case for extensive subsidies to the
private sector by both the Union
and state governments. Regretting
that the Finance Ministry and the
Planning Commission have failed
to accord priority to tourism in
resource allocation, the Department
feels more funds must be drawn
from the private sector through
suitable schemes.

India has grown at a compound
rate of over 17 per cent in the last
20-odd years, domestic travel has
by far the largest share in revenue
from the sector.

Thus it feels that as tourism
promotion is largely a state
government function, steps need to
be taken by them to catalyse an
increase in investment.

Among the major state measures it
has envisaged are:

• Amendments enabling exemp-
tion for tourism industries from
the Urban Land Ceiling Act;

• Making land available either free
or on 99-year lease on easy
terms;

• Railway or trade promotion

20

Z>a44ce>i m *7omi4m; *?44&e4 % l&ttii %xd&

organisations with surplus land
in tourist centres be persuaded to
lease it out;

• Change of land use be allowed
liberally in tourism projects;

• Single-window clearance for
tourism projects;

• Rationalisation of floor space
index and floor area ratio norms
to allow additional rooms in
existing hotels;

• Encumbrance-free passage
across states for tourist transport
vehicles;

• All- India tourist permits be
issued for five years instead of
one as at present:

• 40 per cent subsidy up to Rs.2
lakh for conversion of houses
into paying guest accommoda-
tion; etc.

The Department has recommended
the setting up of mega projects in
select tourist locations where land
is developed with Central subsidy.

To attract private investment in
these and other smaller projects, a
host of concessions from the
Centre have also been proposed:

• 10 per cent interest subsidy on
loans from financial institutions
for projects anywhere in the
country:

• 25percentofRs25-lakh capital
subsidy for mega projects or for
conversion of heritage properties
into hotels:

• Capital gains tax exemption on
sale of private land for tourism
projects:

• 20 per cent capital subsidy for
self-employment ventures set up
by those who undergo an
entrepreneurship development
pro^ mime;

• 10 per cent expenditure tax on
room rent only, with total
exemption for heritage hotels;

• Section 80HHD tax exemption
for all segments of tourism,
under which foreign exchange

earnings can then be re-invested
in refurbishing and renovation;

• Hotels set up after March 1995
also be exempt from section
801 A to be eligible for 25 per
cent deduction from profits for
1 years;

• Depreciation allowance be raised
to 25 per cent for furniture and
fixtures;

• Section 194 (I) exemption for
hotels, as room tariff includes
charges for using electricity
water, telephone, aircondition-
ing, fixtures, etc. A number of
import concessions have also
been recommended by the
Department.

These include export house status
for establishments earning foreign
exchange; 25 per cent duty on
project imports by hotel etc.

- The Pioneers, 14.6.96,
Harjeet Ahlu Walia

Tourism ministry seeks to raise
Ninth Plan outlay by 12 times

TOURISM has been a neglected
sector in the country and its
importance in poverty alleviation
and employment generation has not
been realised, said the tourism
secretary, Mr G Sundaram, while
addressing the members of the
Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII), here on Wednesday.

According to Mr Sundaram, the
policy makers had in the past
ignored the tourism sector, since it
was considered an elite sector and
it was felt that the sector should be
left in the hands of the private
sector.

The tourism ministry is seeking an
outlay of Rs. 5,800 crore in the
ninth Five Year plan, nearly 1 2
times more than the present outlay
of Rs. 450 crore. Mr Sundaram
said he would fight hard to secure
at least a five-fold increase in the
plan outlay.

While the ministry has set a target
of five million tourist arrivals by
the year 2000, Mr Sundaram said
he would prefer to increase the
target to 10 million. However, to
accommodate even five million
tourist *he number of hotel rooms
would nave to be increased to
1 12,000 from the current level of
26,000 rooms. Citing the examples
of Cuba and Thailand who have
considerably increased their hotel
rooms in a short time, he said this
could be done in India too. The
government had cleared over a 100
foreign proposals in this sector, he
added.

Mr Sundaram said the ministry had
prepared a strategy paper, which
has been circulated to the state
governments and specialised
associations in this regard.

To give a boost to domestic
tourism, Mr Sundaram said there

was a need to upgrade airports and
roads. He said there were around
129 airstrips under the state
governments which should be
utilised properly and feeder routes
should be operated on them.

The group managing director of
RCI, Mr Freddy Dellis, said time-
sharing would play an important
part in increasing domestic tourism
and his company was actively
encouraging developers to open up
new areas for tourism by locating
time-share resorts in new parts of
the country. Visitors from other
countries would come to the Indian
time sharing resorts and bring in
tourists with high spending power,
he added.

In India, the Taj group has
affiliated its first time-share units to
RCI. Other household names such
as Mahindra & Mahindra and
Crown TV are also entering the
time-share business.

- The Economic Times • 1 1.07.96

27

Sma&&Ki

2
Tourism In Tamil Nadu: An Overview

Tourism in Tamil Nadu is not a new phenomenon. Its ancient culture and prosperity has
left behind innumerable aesthetic and marvellous temples, mosques and churches scattered
around all over the Tamil region. Pilgrimage had thrived around these historical and
religious monuments. Even today a large part of domestic tourists are pilgrims.

Hill stations like Udhagamandalam (Ooty) and Kodaikanal attracted a few foreign tourists
along with a massive number of domestic tourists. These hill stations are famous for their
outstanding scenic beauty and soothing climate. People came here to escape from the heat
of the plains for a couple days. Of late, seaside locales like Mamallapuram and
Pondicherry became 'pleasure spots' for foreign tourists, large number of domestic
pilgrimage and holiday tourists. This was primarily due to the colonial history and culture
of these places. The Nilgiris region endowed with British colonial legacy attracts more
people from Britain. Pondicherry has a long history of French colonial settlements which
attracts French people on a nostalgic trip. An assortment of other foreigners started coming
to these places as a result of promotional activities of tourism industry and government.

The recent abrupt increase of tourism in Tamil Nadu has little to do with planning. The self
determination/nationality struggles in North and North Eastern states and in Kashmir had
taken a violent turn with complete occupation of these areas by military, para-military and
police forces. Western countries and media blacklisted the entire Northern India as
'disturbed area' and cautioned people not to travel to these areas. An incident of abduction
in Kashmir and a couple of violent acts against tourists put a full stop to tourism activities
in these regions. South India, especially Tamil Nadu and Keralam, were converted into
alternative sites as a fallout of the 'disturbance' in the Northern region.

Coupled with these happenings is the New Economic Policy and liberalisation and also the
tourism economic theories from WTO (World Tourism Organisation). National Action
Plan for Tourism (NAPT) 1992 set the pace for the speedy action in India and the Tamil
Nadu government jumped at this elusive bait with great vigour. Tourism promotion, as
dictated by WTO and Government of India, means more infrastructure investments and
provisions for ancillary services. The path for speedy activity in this direction was
facilitated by declaring tourism as an 'industry'. (It is interesting to note that none of the
policy documents of WTO, Government of India or State governments contain a definition
of this 'industry').

The global and local scenario in India acted as a shot in the arm for the government of
Tamil Nadu. Liberalisation which put private sector to the forefront, opened up new vistas
for corruption to an already neck-deep corrupt government. What is thriving today in the
22

Va44&t ft* t ?emi4m; *JMste& 9* l&tnd'Hddst

name of tourism in Tamil Nadu is 'Joint venture corruption' and 'profit digging' by the
politician-builder-developer nexus. A single case in Kodaikanal, Pleasant Stay Home case
testifies the multiple tentacles of this lobby.*

Political instability in the erstwhile 'Tourist Paradises' gave Tamil Nadu the status of
'Prioritised States' (along with Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Pondicherry) for massive
development of tourism. Accordingly Tamil Nadu has proposed a Master Plan to the tune
of Rs. 591. 34 crores, with assistance from Government of India.

Tamil Nadu has prepared an approach plan identifying areas of priorities for intensive
tourism promotion. Special bodies has been created to look into every nook and corner of
the state to identity tourism potential. Special Tourism Development Authority (STDA),
Hill Area Development Programme (HADP), Special Area Development Authority for
'Heritage Towns' (SADA), all criss-crossing the entire length and breadth of the State with
hawk's eyes to locate every shrine, shore, hill, dale and valley to be packaged for tourist
consumption.

"Tamil Nadu's great attraction to tourists lies in its magnificent temples, fine beaches,
serene hill stations and unspoiled forests and wildlife." 1 In 1994-95, Tamil Nadu
government has put tourism on top of their economic agenda and projected it as the single
largest economic activity in the State by the year 2000.

Thirty percent of foreign tourists visiting India visit Tamil Nadu. Recently, there is an
upward trend in both foreign and domestic tourist arrivals in Tamil Nadu.

Domestic and Foreign Tourist Arrival in Tamil Nadu 2

(figures in lakhs)

Year

Domestic

Foreign

— —

1989

• ' 6237

3.19

1988

.62.71

3.70

1989 -■

62,71

3.70

1990

97,58

3.10

1991

H2.27 .;;.-.■■

.3.34

1992 > .

.;. 131.0&: / -

■^■■■■■:<.#m'--

J 993 .

;~ 13100

4.41

* Gross violation of Master Plan and construction regulations by the private hotelier, Pleasant Stay Home, got Tamil
Nadu Government's sanction by a secret Government Order.

23

SwztewJ-

TN ecology authority named

The Centre has constituted an
Authority to deal with issues
relating to ecological protection
and compensation in respect of
various industries in Tamil Nadu.

This is in pursuance of a directive
from the Supreme Court two
months ago while disposing of
petitions relating to tannery
pollution in the State.

The four-member Loss of Ecology
(Prevention and Payment of
Compensation) Authority will be
headed by a retired judge of the
Madras High Court.

According to a source, Mr. P.
Bhaskaran, retired judge, has been
appointed to head the Authority.

The other three members of the
Authority will be: The Secretary,
Department of Environment,
Government of Tamil Nadu,
Member-Secretary, Central
Pollution Control Board (CPCB),
Delhi and a person appointed by
the Central Government to act as
Member-Secretary of the
Authority. Sources said Mr. B.B.
Sundaresan, former Vice-
Chancellor, Madras University, has
been appointed to the position of
Member-Secretary.

A notification issued in this regard
by the Union Ministry of
Environment and Forests says the
Chairperson and other members of
the authority will hold office for a
period of two years from
September 30, 1996 (the date of the
publication notification).

The Authority, which will have its
headquarters in Chennai, will
exercise powers under Sec.3 (2) (v)

to (x) and (xii) of the Environment
(Protection) Act, 1986, with respect
to restriction of areas of operation
of industries, laying down
procedures and safeguards for
prevention of accidents which may
cause environmental pollution,
examination of manufacturing
processes, materials and sub-
stances, sponsoring investigations
into jbTyblems of environmental
pollution, inspection of plants,
premises etc and collection and
dissemination of information in
respect of environmental pollution.

It will assess the loss to the ecology
and environment in affected areas
and identify the individuals and
families who have suffered because
of the pollution and assess the
compensation to be paid. It will
also decide the compensation to be
recovered from the polluter. The
compensation will (as suggested by
the Supreme Court) be computed
under two heads, viz, for reversing
the ecology and for payment to
individuals.

The Authority has also been clothed
with powers to direct the closure of
any industry or class of industries
owned or managed by a polluter in
caseofevasionorrefusaltopay the
compensation awarded against the
polluter. This will be in addition to
the recovery from the polluter as
arrears of land revenue.

The other functions of the
Authority will include framing of
schemes to reverse the damage
caused to the ecology and environ-
ment by pollution in Tamil Nadu in
consultation with expert bodies like
the National Environmental En-
gineering Research Institute
(NEERI), the Central Pollution

Control Board etc. These schemes
shall be executed by the State
Government under the supervision
of the Central Government and the
expenditure will be met from the
Environmental Protection Fund
and from other sources provided by
both the governments.

The Authority will review the cases
of all industries already operating
in prohibited areas and direct
relocation of any of them, close
permanently or order relocation of
tanneries which have not provided
adequate effluent treatment
facilities and do not have a valid
certificate from the Tamil Nadu
State Pollution Control Board.

The authority will comply with
orders issued from time to time by
the Madras High Court and
Supreme Court.

It will prepare a statement showing
the total amount to be recovered
from the polluters, mentioning
therein the names of the polluters
and the amount to be recovered
from each and the persons to whom
the compensation is to be paid.

The statement is to be forwarded to
the Collector/ District Magistrates
of the area concerned who shall
receive the amount from the
polluters, if necessary, as arrears of
land revenue and disburse the
amounts to affected persons and
families.

The Authority will furnish a
progress report about its activities
at least once in two months to the
Union Ministry of Environment
and Forests,

-The Hindu- 17.10.96

26

VudC&t oh *7omUm: *)4dued % *7<tmd %%du

Tourism action plan with private
consultancy mooted

The State tourism department
proposes to enlist the services of a
private consultancy in preparing an
action plan to make Tamil Nadu an
inviting destination for domestic
and foreign tourists.

The emphasis of the action plan
would be on identifying special
tourist circuits and to improve the
existing tourist attractions in the
State.

Explaining the steps initiated by
the department, official sources
told The Hindu that the private
agency would be given a month's
time lo present its report and the
draft plan would then be forwarded
to the Centre for incorporation in
the Ninth Plan.

Apart from the State Government
funding the tourism-related projects

and programmes, necessary
provision would be made in the
action plan to seek financial
assistance from external agencies.

Pointing out that already several
special tourism areas had been
identified in the Tourism Policy
brought out during the AIADMK
regime, sources said discussions
were not on with the newly
constituted Board members of the
Tamil Nadu Tourism Development
Corporation (TTDC) for providing
the necessary inputs to give an
impetus to tourism related activities
in the State.

Meanwhile, the Transport Finance
Development Corporation has
sanctioned a loan of Rs.l crore to
the TTDC to help purchase 10
luxury airconditioned coaches to
the Corporation as part of its

exercise to augment its present fleet
strength of 23. Out of these 1
coaches, two buses would be
shortly purchased from HR&CE
Department which had bought the
buses during the World Tamil
Conference held i n Thanjavur.

The members of the reconstituted
Board had been asked to pay
special attention, among other
things, to improve the quality of
food served in all the hotels of the
TTDC and upgrade the kitchen
facilities.

The permission from the
Department of Archaeology had
been obtained to introduce the
'Sound and Light Programme' at
Brahadeeswarar Temple,

Thanjavur, sources said.

The Hindu -11.0936

Master plan for Palani, Kodai await
govt approval

DINDIGUL, June 17 - A master
plan for the integrated development
of Palani and Kodaikanal at a cost
of Rs 45 croies have been sent for
government approval, disclosed Mr
C Chandramouli, Collector,
Dindigul Anna district.

Addressing a press conference here
on Monday morning, he said that a
scheme for protection of the
Kodaikanal lake, at a cost of Rs, 1 5
crores, has been drawn and sent to
the Central Government for
approval. The scheme has been
readied on the recommendations of
the lake preservation and environ-
mental protection committee which
visited Kodaikanal last year.

Another plan aiming at developing
Kodaikanal and providing

infrastructural facilities for tourists
at a cost of Rs 1 5 crores has also
been sent for approval, he said and
added that special permission is
being sought to form the
Kodaikanal Development

Authority.

The Collector informed that during
summer 653 borewells had been
dug in the district of which 293
borewells were dug in villages.
1 20 in town panchayats and 143 in
municipalities. He said work on
another 1 50 more borewells is in
progress.

A sum of Rs 1 lakhs had been
sanctioned for the supply of
drinking water through lorries.
Owing to drought conditions, Rs
1 1.75 lakhs had been spent for the

purpose. Therefore the

government has been requested to
sanction an additional Rs 10 lakhs
for the same.

As the Vaigai river had gone dry,
water could not be pumped from
two out of the six open wells in
Peranai, the main source of
drinking water to Dindigul town.

He said though the daily
requirement of water for Dindigul
town is 18 million litres, only 3
million litres could be pumped in
from Peranai. Therefore, water is
being provided from the Autoor
Kamraja Sahar Dam which has a
stock for three months.

The yield in the two open wells
dug at the dam-site was very
appreciable and so the municipality
had decided to dig two more wells,
the Collector said and added that as
a permanent measure, a plan has

27

been drawn to lay a three kilometre
pipeline to link Peranai and
Thirumangalam channel so that
recharging could be done at
Peranai.

The Collector stated that a proposal
for integrated development of
Palani town also has been sent to
the government for approval. He
said, since there is no scope in
increasing tax for permanent
residents of Palani, the District
Administration has suggested to
the government to impose an entry
tax for tourists or to permit Palani
temple to spare a portion of its
income for developing Palani
town.

The Collector said his first priority
would be towards health and
sanitation. An intensive drive
would be carried out to clean
Dindigul town with the help of
voluntary organisations. He
appealed to the public to cooperate
in keeping the city clean.

The Collector said that steps are
being taken to upgrade Dindigul
Bus Stand. All encroachments at
the bus stand will be removed
within a week. Orders have been
issued to the municipal authorities
in this regard, he stated and added
that encroachments in others parts
of the town will also be removed.

-The India Express 18,06.96

A special tourism
area only in name

The Tamil Nadu Government in its
order (GO Ms 133) Information &
Tourism (Tourism V) Department
dated May 6, 1992 declared three
places in Tamil Nadu as 'Special
Tourism Area.' And one of them
was Kancheepuram Municipality
area. The other two are Mamalla-
puram and Tranquebar.

Some works had been taken up to
improve Mamallapuram town. But
as far as Kancheepuram town is
concerned, nothing has been done,
except for installing sodium vapour
street lights.

The Kamarajar Road that connects
the Rajiv Gandhi Road with Vallal
Pachayappar Road is one example,
and during many days of the year,
remains a cess-pool, thanks to the
sewage water let out from nearby
lodging houses and hotels.

Somethreeyearsago.asumofRs. 1
crore was sanctioned for the re-
construction of the town' s bus stand.
However, not much had been done
andbusescontinuetobeparkedona
small portion of the stand

The stand lacks a shelter and
commuters are forced to stand in
the scorching sun, waiting for
buses. For want of public
conveniences, the bus stand area
has become a large, open air toilet.

In another part of this unfinished
bus stand, the parking bays are
ready but buses are not allowed
into this area. The passenger
shelters have reached the finishing
stage but this area is being misused
it is alleged.

As the bus stand is not ready, buses
to Madras, Vellore, Arakkonam,
Thiruttani, Tirupati etc., are parked
outside the bus stand causing
considerable inconvenience to
passengers.

-The Hindu -09.06.96

"Special
Tourism Areas"

Approach for '90s

One of the most important
decisions of the Government in the
current year has been to declare a
package of incentives for the
tourism at par with the industry and
declaration of 'Special Tourism
Area.'

This shows a departure in the
attitude of Government, about its
role of merely running a 'few coach
tours' or budget accommodations,
to ushering in an era of Tourism
Growth Centres.'

This also shows the recognition of
the contributions of the tourism
sector to overall growth of
economy, and allocating it priority,
attention and importance, needed to
reach its ultimate potential, which
is enormous.

Special Tourism Areas are being
developed keeping the foreign
tourist, his needs, and requirements
in mind. To begin with
Tarangambadi, Kancheepuram and
East Coast, covering Muttukadu to
Mamallapuram have been declared
as Special Tourism Areas.

The main aim is to have a planned
sustainable development, integrat-
ing local communities, and
ensuring their participation in the
growth process.

Guiding and channelising public
and private investments in ap-
propriate inter-dependent projects,
and infrastructure developments.

While taking all the measures for
environment protection and
preservation of the sanctity of the
coastal areas.

As a sequel to special tourism
areas, Rameswaram Island has
been earmarked as 'Pilgrim
Tourism Area.' The approach is
going to be the same, but the
requirements to be met would be

28

Vo&Ue* oh *7<wa&w; Oatcu* Ok t 7<u*Ui UtoU

those of 'Domestic Pilgrim
Tourist.' Special tourism areas
approach can (1) sustain a whole
geographical area,

a) through its manpower intensive
nature. For every facility, we
need management staff, cooks,
room boys, guides, drivers,
dhobies, cleaners and so on,

b) through the multiplier effect,
with every hotel, one would
need milk dairies, vegetable
growers, fish cooperatives,
sheep and goat breeders, poultry
and bee keepers and so on. In
addition, coach service, taxi
service, restaurants, fast food
stalls, souvenir shops,
handicrafts and local handlooms,
services and recreational
facilities for the tourists, and so
on, would also be needed,

c) and would cost less, since
ancillaries can spring up, by
themselves. A little support
from banks, to artisans,
shopkeepers, Taxi and auto
drivers, would go a long way in
strengthening the approach,

d) it could also ensure appropriate
facilities for the target group, in
a short span of time, through
concentrated infrastructure
development.

Tourism year 1 992-93 is going to
be intensive tourism development
year for us. We aim to give a
better deal to the people visiting
Tamilnadu. In this venture, we
solicit the support and active
participation of all hoteliers, tour-
operators, travel agents, amusement
park promoters, golf course and
resort developers, in making
Tamilnadu, in the words of our
Hon'ble Chief Minister a 'Land of
Hospitality.'

C.K.GARIYALl, LAS.

Secretary,

Information and Tourism

Department

Govt, of Tamil Nadu

- The Hindu - 27.09.92

Beckoning tourists

A vehicle for overall development

FROM surf-swept beaches to
wildlife sanctuaries to temple
towns, Tamil Nadu is rich in
everything that attracts tourists in
large numbers, but till recently,
comfortable hotels, clean
restaurants and other such facilities
were found only in a few big cities
and hill resorts. Many places of
interest were thus out of the
itinerary of tour operators and little
known to visitors. This scene is
fast changing, with facilities
available even in small towns and
tourist spots which were hitherto
almost unknown.

Tourism received a big impetus in
Tamil Nadu when it was declared
an industry by the State
Government three years ago.
Besides the State's plans for
promotion of tourism. Rs. 34-crore
Centrally-funded schemes have
been finalised for 1 995-96.

Under the Government's area
development approach, bearing
foreign tourists in mind, private
sector investment is being
encouraged and domestic tourism
promoted. Manpower develop-
ment in the hotel and tourism
industry is in focus, and the accent
is on promoting cultural tourism
through fairs and festivals,
providing facilities for adventure
and beach tourism and giving
publicity elsewhere in India and
abroad to tourist centres and
facilities in the State.

A "growth centre" approach is to
be followed integrating tourism
with the overall development of a
place and its people.

Some of the major tourism projects
identified envisage the construction
of one-to three-star hotels with
investment below Rs. 1 crore in
centres other than Madras.
Coimbatore and Madurai introdu-
ction of additional air-conditioned

tourist coaches laying of golf
course; and licensing of
government-approved restaurants.
These will be eligible for soft
loans, and the Regional Director of
Tourism, Government of India will
give the clearance for funding by
financial institutions. Capital
investment subsidy at 10 per cent
of the total investment excluding
the cost of land and up to Rs. 10
lakh will be provided for new
tourism projects.

Other concessions include deferral
of sales tax for five years for
approved hotels and restaurants,
waiver of luxury tax on room for
five years for new hotel projects
and graded concessions on
electricity tariff. New projects
would also be given capital subsidy
for generators, up to Rs. 5 lakh.

The State Government has chosen
select sites as special tourism areas.
Among them are the Mamalla-
puram area i n Chengai-MGR district
covering the coastal stretch from
Muttukadu to Pondicherry; Kanchi-
puramtown,inthesamedistrict;and
Tharangambadi area in Nagapatti-
nam Quaid-e-Millath district
covering the town and areas within a
10-km radius. The first is to be
developed into a watersports facility;
Kanchipuram is a famous pilgrimage
centre; and Tharan-gambadi has
many Dutch-built monuments.
Special tourism development
authorities have been formed for
these area, and concessions such as
government land at subsidised rates
basic infrastructure for communi-
cation, transport and municipal
services and waiver of sales tax for
f i ve years wi 1 1 be extended.

The Centre will give concessions
like financial support, exemption
from Central taxes and capital and
interest subsidies and publicity
through Indian embassies and
tourist offices abroad.

29

£m&Uo*t&

The Government has further
identified Mamallapuram, Kanchi-
puram, Chidambaram, Kanya-
kumari, Rameswaram, Tharangam-
badi, Thanjavur, Kumbakonam,
Srirangam, Tiruttani, Palani and
Sriperumbudur as "Heritage
Towns". Area development autho-
rities are being established in all
heritage towns for cleaning and
beautifying them, preserving archi-
tectural monuments and historical
buildings and preventing un-
planned growth. Tourist facilities
like hotels, restaurants, parks, rest
rooms, parking space, shopping
areas and recreation centres are
coming up in these towns. Proper
sewage and waste removal and
protected water supply are to be
provided, and specific projects
implemented with assistance from
the State and Central governments
and the World Bank.

Adventure tourism is catching on
among youngsters from elsewhere
in India and abroad, and facilities
are being developed at several
places in the State. A National
Water Sports Centre is being
developed at Muttukadu, near
Madras, where the aquatically-
inclined can take up canoeing and
wind-surfing; an annual wind-
surfing regatta will also be held.

Trekking routes with camping
facilities have been developed in
Udhagamandalam (Ooty), Kodai-
kanal and other hill resorts, and the
Tamil Nadu Tourism Development
Corporation (TTDC) has begun
regular trekking programmes since
1992. The TTDC is also promot-
ing the idea of 'Tourism in Tents"
for those willing to "rough it out",
and in places where tourist traffic is
seasonal.

Cultural tourism is a big draw
when clubbed with local festivals
and fairs. Among the festivals are
Pongal in January, throughout
•Tamil Nadu, Makham festival at
Kumbakonam in February,
Nathanjali (Festival of Dances) at
Chidambaram in March, Chithirai
festival in Madurai in April,
summer festivals during May in

Ooty, Kodaikanal, Yercaud and
other hill resorts, Mango Festival at
Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri in
June and Saral Festival at
Courtallam in July.

Skanda Shasti at Tiruchendur,
Arudra Festival near Ramanatha-
puramand Cape Festival at Kanya-
kumari are being promoted both for
tourists and pilgrims.

Other festivals at Pilgrim towns are
also to be "packaged" for tourists.

The State Government is also
making arrangements for providing
paying-guest accommodation as an
alternative to regular hotels. A
directory of paying-guest accom-
modation that can be availed of at
each centre will be made available
to travel agencies and tour
operators.

Since 1994, several schemes have
been taken up for improvement of
facilities at Vaigai, Sathanur and
Mettur dams at a cost of Rs. 38.86
lack. The suspension cable bridge
across the Cauvery at Hogenakkal
is to be completed at a cost of Rs.
5.5 Lakh; Rs. 50 lakh is to be spent
on improving facilities for visitors
at Kanchipuram, Mamallapuram,
Tharangambadi and Poompuhar.
These are projects included in the
State plan.

Work is under way on the Centre-
assisted schemes taken up in 1994-
95, which envisage the con-
struction of tourist lodges and
reception centres at Villupuram
(cost: Rs. 18.78 lakh), Tiruvanna-
malai (Rs. 39. 1 lakh), Tharangam-
badi (Rs. 24.49 lakh), Thanjavur
(Rs. 26.30 lakh) and Pudukkottai
(Rs. 18.78 lakh).

Under the State plan for 1995-96
facilities at Hogenakkal are to be
improved at a cost of Rs. 10.5 lakh
and at Veedur dam near Villu-
puram, forRs. 7 lakh. In addition,
the TTDC will get Rs. 1 crore
capital assistance.

The Centre-assisted projects
cleared during this year will cost

Rs. 3.4 crore and will cover
Kanchipuram, Yercaud,

Tiruchendur, Hosur, Vedanthangal,
Erode and Rameswaram.

The growth in the hotel industry in
Madras and other towns is
expected to match the increase in
tourist traffic. More than 2,000
three-star hotel rooms and 6M five-
star hotel rooms will be added over
the next two years. The five-star
hotels include Balaji Oberoi, a 305-
room project, and the 180-room
Holiday Inn promoted by the
Dharani Sugar group in Madras,
Coimbatore will have four three-
star hotels. Some 15 other projects
are awaiting clearance in Tamil
nadu.

While earlier the growth was
restricted to five-star hotels the
need for "budget hotels" is being
felt with a spurt in the arrival of
young tourists from abroad and
those from other States looking for
clean, comfortable accommodation
that is not too expensive.

Among several new budget hotels
which have come up in Madras is
The Residency, built by real-estate
promoters Appaswamy and Sons.
The promoters are coming up with
another budget hotel in Coimbatore
with 1 13 rooms, a swimming pool
and banquet halls. This is expected
to be ready by August 1996.

-Frontline -06 J 0.95,
K. Satvamurti

30

Ttotewi o*t t 7ouudw: *?ddcce& *)tt *7<tottl 7tadcc

Corporates roped in to boost TN
tourism

IN A MAJOR initiative to improve
its business operations and promote
tourism in the state, the Tamil
Nadu Tourism Development
Corporation (TTDC) is going in for
tie-up arrangements with big
corporates.

Several major public sector
companies were being contacted
for ensuring bulk booking of rooms
in TTDC's hotels and for
organising special package tours
for their employees, the state
minister for tourism, Mr N Suresh
Rajan, informed the state
legislative assembly. Moving the
demands for grants for 1996-97 for

his department, Mr Rajan said
TTDC has already tied up with
Bharat Petroleum in this regard.

An agreement has also been
clinched with Madras Refineries
Limited (MRL) for special package
tours for over 2000 MRL's
employees during July-September
1996, he said. The TTDC
proposed to appoint additional
selling agents in Northern States to
promote tourist destinations of
Tamil Nadu, the Minister said.
Stating that with the declaration of
Tourism as an Industry, the hotel
business and operation of tours
have become very competitive, Mr.

Rajan said TTDC was taking
several steps this year to meet this
competition. Major hotels of
TTDC are to be upgraded at a cost
of Rs. 15 lakh, besides important
civil works are to be executed this
year at a cost of Rs. 35 lakh.
Modern kitchen gadgets are to be
provided in the TTDC hotels and
tourist coaches are to be replaced at
a cost of Rs.60 lakh, Mr. Rajan
said. The TTDC has registered a
significant 12 per cent growth in its
turnover during 1995-96 at Rs.
18.93 crore, compared to the
previous year. It has also earned
foreign exchange to the tune of Rs.
20 lakh during the past three years.
The Government has identified
three areas to be developed as
"Special Tourism Areas", Mr.
Suresh Rajan said.

-The Economic Times - 14.08.96

Minister woos private sector to
boost tourism

THANJAVUR Sept 28, Ko Si
Mani, Minister for Rural
Development and Local Admini-
stration, sought the help of indu-
strialists to develop tourist spots in
Tamil Nadu.

Participating in the World Tourism
Day celebration, at Hotel Sangam
here on Friday, he wanted the indu-
strialists to adopt historical monu-
ments, unexplored by the tourists.

He said in foreign countries these
historical monuments were well
preserved, and decried the lack of
awareness in this regard in our
country.

The historical monuments in
Thanjavur are ruined because of
government negligence. He urged
the private parties to come forward
to maintain these places along with
the Government. He also urged the
parents as well as the teachers to
educate children about the

importance of this place, pointed
out the Minister.

The Government had unearthed rare
idols at Thanjavur, Pudukottai and
Nagapattinam. All these idols were
in the safe custody of the concerned
department but due to the lack of
proper maintenance of these idols,
tourists were not aware of the
historical back ground of the same.

Some anti-social elements were
engaged in smuggling out idols and
other antiques to foreign countries.
In Tamil Nadu some agents were
engaged in revealing information
regarding these rare idols, he said.

Presiding over the function V K.
Jayakodi, district collector, said
that some private parties were
interested in adopting villages like
Orathanadu, Needamangalam and
Rajamadam where the paintings
and other carving of Maratha Kings
were still unexplored by the tourist.

The Government would like to
improve these tourist spots in
cooperation with private parties
and the Government is going to
declare these villages as 'heritage
village', he said.

The District is committed to
provide basic amenities to all the
tourist spots in Thanjavur district
as the Government had already
declared Thanjavur and Kumba-
konam as the heritage towns, the
District Commissioner said.

Chandra welcomed the gatherings.
Later the Minister distributed prizes
to the winners who had participated
in various cultural and other
competitions. Pazanim-anikkam,
MP, Durai Chandra-sekaran, MLA,
Prema, principal of Kunthavai
Nachiyar Women Arts College,
Jeyaraman, District Revenue
Officer spoke on the occasion.
Mahalingam, Public Relation
Officer proposed a vote of thanks.

-The Indian Express - 29.09.96

31

Auto boom ignites a hotel
revolution in Chennai

CHENNAI, Dec 29: Exemplifying
the inter-industry linkages, the
hotel industry is witnessing a boom
in this city following an influx of
foreign direct investment in the
manufacturing sector, spearheaded
by Ford and Hyundai.

The obvious off-shoot of this auto
boom has been the heightened
activity on the auto ancillary and
component fronts. Consequently,
the need for support services such
as communication, transport,
banking, advertising, market
research, travel, tourism and
entertainment is now being felt
more than ever before.

It's perfect setting for the hotel
industry to capitalise on the
increased industrial activity.
Chennai is set to see a
mushrooming of budget and luxury
hotels very soon to accommodate
the burgeoning demand for rooms
in the 3-star and above category.

Big boys like Balaji, MAC Group,
Dharani Empee et al have entered
the fray. Balaji has a franchisee
tie-up with Oberoi. MAC Group
will make a foray into hotel
business with its venture with US-
based Raddison Hotels. Dharani
has courted Hilton. The Empee
Group has signed management
contracts with the US-based
Marriot Hotels and Resorts and
Holiday Inn International.
Interestingly enough, there are also
many purely local breds who
propose to to put up hotels on their
own. Tripurasundari Hotels (P)
Ltd., Ambika Resorts and
Industries and Vaigai Hotels (P)
Ltd have also plan to enter the
three-star category. What more,
there are also companies like G R
Thangamaligai, whose core line of
business interest has been in
jewellery.

If grapevine is to be believed,

Chennai will see a couple mega
hotel projects in the heart of the
city. St. James Court, London, of
the Taj Group, has reportedly taken
a property adjacent to the Chettinad
palace in Adayar on a 99-year
lease. Sources aver that St James is
planning a five-star hotel aimed
primarily at non-resident Indians.
Similarly, the French-based Accord
Group's has teamed up with a local
group for setting up a hotel project
near the Gemini fly-over.

Most of the hotels in the five-star
category will go on-stream by
1998, involving an estimated
average investment of Rs 30 lakh
per room. In the three-star
category, the investment will be
about Rs 1 1 lakh per room.

Many of the proposed hotels are,
significantly enough, coming up
near the airport. This is naturally
so. For one, there are indications
that Mount Road may be
demarcated as a restricted area for
regulating traffic (similar to the toll
system abroad). For another, the
concept of 'ring road', as in New
Delhi, is gaining increasing appeal
heie too.

Presently, there are 26 hotels in
Chennai (approved by the
Government of India) in the 3-star
and above category with a capacity
totalling to just 3204 rooms and
6408 beds. Statistics reveal that
there has been a steady increase in
tourist arrivals (business and
conventional tourists) at the
Madras airport in 1996. From
2,1 1,460 in 1995, the tourists
arrival rose to 2,13,657 tourists in
1996 (till November). This is
expected to grow further with the
coming of giants like Ford and
Hyundai and other MNCs into
Chennai.

With existing hotels witnessing
over 100 percent occupancy rates

in the budget category (which
provides 5-star facilities at
affordable rates) and around 80 per
cent occupancy rates for luxury
hotels compared to 60 percent a
couple of years ago, the demand-
supply mismatch justifies the
mushrooming of new projects in
these categories.

That this increase in demand is
sustainable can be discerned by
looking into the factors causing this
influx. Firstly, liberalisation has
brought with it an easier flow of
capital across borders. Says
Rangachary, secretary-general of
the South India Hotels and
Restaurants' Association, "Tamil
Nadu has certain inherent
advantages such as a relatively
uninterrupted power supply, lower
cost of labour and easy
accessibility in terms of two ports
and an international airport. This
has attracted a lot of foreign
investment compared to other
states in the south."

According to Narasimhan, assistant
director of the Department of
Tourism, Chennai, "Conventional
tourism has also seen a steady
uptrend as a consequence of
corporate travellers combining
business with pleasure activities
such as sight-seeing and exploring
the art and culture of the state. The
Hyundai team that performed the
" bhoomi-puja' at their upcoming
plant in Sriperumbudur recently
went on a pleasure trip to
Kanchipuram and Mahabali-
puram." There is, hence, no rigid
division between business tra-
vellers and conventional tourists
and most people fall under both
categories, especially when they
are first-timers.

Tulsi Ram, assistant sales manager
of Chola Sheraton, however, feels
that travellers who come on purely
business reasons form 98 per cent
of its clientele, which is the case
with all city-based hotels. "This
has been the trend ever since the
liberalisation process took off four
years back. There have been an
increasing number of international

32

Vatetet m 7ewudm,> Owtte* % lamd "Had*

and national conferences, seminars,
fairs and business meetings held in
the city of late with an upgradation
of facilities, making it possible for
hotels to meet the requirements of
such shows", he opines.

Moreover, the concept of guest
houses is also fading. The trend is

now moving towards contracting to
star-hotels. More corporates feel
that the maintenance costs of these
guest houses are too high.
Business travellers also enjoy many
more additional comforts in five-
star hotels that are increasingly
fine-tuning what they have to offer

to the needs of businessmen.

According to Narasimhan, the
south has also seen an increased
inflow of foreign traffic because
north India has been overexposed.

- The Indian Express - 30.12.96,
Sowmya Sivakumar

fa tern tim&*iy*f$f^

-66.77

1970-71 to
1979-80

Note: Figures represent annus! average tor

ihe oecMe

Source: Tami Nadu - An Economic Appraisal

1992-93

1970-71 10
1979-80
it ..i Canal fl

1980*81 to
1989-90

Tank £ *l W#rt

Note: FxH/res repreaent annual average tor

the eecaoe

Source rami Naou - An Economic Appraisal.

199293

33

Sm&tt9*(A

3
Emerging Conflicts: Tourism And Infrastructure

Tourism not only needs lot of infrastructure but is basically an industry centred on
infrastructure - roads, railways, airways, hotels, restaurants, golf courses, casinos and the
like. Naturally, this infrastructure needs space, a lot of land indeed.

The increasing emphasis given for hotels, resorts and holiday homes in every coast, hill,
dale and river side threatens the very existence of the local people. The hike in land prices
is beyond the reach of middle class too. The conversion of agricultural land for this
pleasure industry is increasing. It is evident that Government of Tamil Nadu has decided
that the land is not for the survival of her people but for the pleasure of a few.

Race for Paradise by the Leisure Class ?

Tamil Nadu's bountiful natural resources are spread out in the fertile valleys, hill areas and
sea shores. The new 'Pleasure Homes' are eating up these regions, converting productive
lands into exclusive elite class interests. Intervention by peoples' groups do not reach the
core of the issue due to lack of a holistic approach towards tourism.*

The soothing climate, crystal clear water and unspoiled environment has become a curse to
local people. The migration of affluent urbanites from various parts of India and abroad to
the hill areas of Tamil Nadu is a growing phenomenon. Udhagamandalam, Kodaikanal,
Coonoor, Kotagiri, Yercaud etc are now under severe pressure due to this massive
immigration caused by greed for a cosy life.

"In fact 40% of Coonoor's population are retired military personnel." ! Though actual
figures are not available, most hill areas has similar settlers, pushing land price to
unimaginable levels. This 'virus of affluence' is now infecting Tamil Nadu's sea coasts
too, especially after the implementation of the disastrous East Coast Road Project. The
entire land on either side of this super-highway (Kanyakumari to Calcutta) is let open for
hotels, golf courses, water sports, aquaculture and pleasure resorts.

The Damning Resort Culture

Recently there is a proliferation of companies offering pleasure resorts of various types to
the rich urbanites. All such resorts are proposed in pristine areas with rich agricultural

*Stcrling Holiday Resorts, Kodaikanal had proposed 19 build 1 50 five star cottages which would have polluted Benijom
& Kodaikanal Ir.kes since they had no underground sewage facilities. The intervention of.Palani Hills Conservation
Council (PHCC) through the High Court stopped the construction, when they have build only 35 cottages. But the resort
builders moved to a nearby village, 7 km away and bought prime lands. There they have already build 50 cottages and
plans to build 100 more.

34 ~

T>ad4c0t ok lowtUttt,: I&UUA % l&nH'H&du,

traditions. Agricultural land of these areas were acquired by these companies by using all
kinds of nefarious strategies, including the land acquisition law. Government is all set to
support these new genre of prof iteers. In the mad chase for land in the villages, they grab
agricultural and community land of villagers using all sorts of dubious means.

Resort companies are banking upon the urbanites' need for escape from the maddening
city life into something different. Massive amounts are allocated by these companies to
inform the urbanites that their life is imperfect, meaningless, and boring. Thus they assure
a thriving market for the resorts located in pristine areas. The marketing strategies are in no
way different from selling cosmetics - you are asked to hate your own body smell and then
you are asked to purchase harmful chemicals to remove the body smell!

The companies facilitate the illusory escape of urbanites on to the body of village cultures.
The promises of escape into nature turn out to be a myth because in the resort localities
there will be no villages and villagers, the entire areas will be a 'landscaped' city with all
its attendant 'qualities'!*

Rules for the Rich Only ?

The zoning regulations in the tourism areas, especially in hill areas and coastal areas, are
designed to oust the poor, lower middle class and wage earners from their traditional
homesteads. For e.g. the Udhagamandalam Master Plan (UMP) sets the minimum land
requirement for a building (including house) at 23 cents. 2

It is clear that such a limit was set to assist the resort companies and to legitimise land
needs of the urban pleasure seekers. Such a limit is a clear violation of the right to shelter
of poor and marginalised people which is an inherent aspect of right to life guaranteed by
the Constitution of India.

Land Acquisition Act is widely used to usurp land from the poor and marginalised farmers
in all the tourism areas. Land acquisition is in the name of dubious 'public purpose'.
Government acts as a broker armed with the Land Acquisition Act who is always at the
beck and call of the profiteers.

Land thus forcefully taken away from local people at a pittance and sometimes without
compensation are given over to international hotel chains, local resort promoters etc at a
throwaway price. Infrastructure facilities such as roads are built in these areas at the cost of
the people by using public funds to assist the profit needs of these companies and
promoters.

* Advertisement of Samyukta Foundations (P) Ltd., declares: "Yes, buying Samyukta Foundations' fantastic lake view
cottages and plots at Kodaikanal is buying 'peace of mind'. It is situated on the sloppy lush green Kodai lake. View
commands a stunning view of the entire Kodaikanal". Among the facilities provided for 'peace of mind' " Barbed wire
fencing with round the clock security"!

35

The new bureaucratic structures criss-crossing into each other's domains in tourism
localities are further complicating matters. Local people are running from pillar to post
with their grievances and are let down by all the agencies. In the confusion created, resort
companies get their firm hold over the land by using all crooked means at their disposal
including high level political patronage.

Legal System: Weapon of the Rich ?

Regions earmarked for tourism promotion became sites of gross violation of rules and
regulations by the construction sharks. The elevation (height and floor limits) regulations
recommended for constructions in hill regions, Coastal regulations for sea shore
constructions (distance from High tide line and height), Sanitation rules of local authorities
etc. are violated with connivance of authorities and politicians.*

In the case of Pleasant Stay Home** even the court orders were violated and the entire
court procedures made a mockery. The legal process was hijacked with the help of political
clout. Government authorities facilitated the victory of construction lobby through dubious
orders, in the name of tourism promotion. The local people neither have the means nor the
political backing even to retain the minimum land for survival.

It should also be realised that none of these rules and regulations are gifts by governments
but won through peoples' struggles and sacrifices. Now these laws have become tools of
the new generation of oppressors, for displacing and dispossessing the very people who
struggled to formulate such laws.

Pleasure at the Cost of the Poor

The established industrial groups with their multinational menders and the neo-af fluent
class, the products of liberalisation, are wholeheartedly 'helping' the Tamil Nadu
government in building hotels and resorts all over the state. The government has come out
with handsome subsidies and tax cuts in its 1992 tourism plan.

Waiving o f luxury tax upto 50% for five years, and discounts in power charges and cooking
gas are promised to promote tourism. One to three star hotel projects with less than Rs. 1 crore
outlay in centres other than Madras, Coimbatore and Madurai will be eligible for loans at 1 4%
interest, capital subsidy at 1 0% of total investment excluding the cost of land, subject to a
maximum of 1 lakh per project. They will also be eligible for deferral of Sales Tax for 5 years
on restaurants. 3

* Construction recukiimns clearly demarcates the height of buildings in hill regions to be strictly 7 meters consisting of
ground floor and one upper floor. Coastal zone regulations prohibits any construction within 500 meters of the High Tide
Line (HTL), FS1 regulations and height of building to 9 meters.

** Hotel Pleasant Stay Home of Kodaikanal, deliberately violated construction regulations by building 7 floors instead of
the stipulated 2 floors. The hotelierexplained in the Madras HighCourt that he was not violating any regulations since the
construction being along the slope of a hill, the first 5 floors were below the ground level and only the 6i£[ and 7th floor to
be considered as the ground and 1st floor!

36

T><m£&t m *?em/Um: ^uuu % *7#m&%*dtt

It should be remembered that these kind of massive subsidising is offered in the wake of
massive cuts on subsidies in the agriculture and food sectors. The policies to subsidise
pleasure needs of the rich at the cost of the poor should be seen as a worst form of human
rights violation. Those who are not in a position to get three square meals a day have to bear
the cost of the pleasure orgies of a minority who suffer from obesity due to overeating.

Who Eats the Tourism Cake ?

In fact it is the private sector that runs tourism industry in Tamil Nadu. While the Minister
for Tourism talks about projects in lakhs, the private sector plans in crores. The bureaucrats
propose specified enclaves while the private resort builders stretch their hawk eyes farther
into outlying villages.

In the year 1 992-93 the Union government cleared projects worth Rs. 1 08 crores for hotel
industry in Tamil Nadu. The projects are by the Taj Group, in Madras and Coonoor;
Sterling Hotels, Yercaud; Mehal Hotels, Madurai; Muthu Hotels, Madras; The Nilgiris
Group, Coimbatore, to name a few. 4

The 1 iberal subsidies, tax cuts and soft loan facilities to private sector for promotion of tourism
clearly indicate who benefits by this industry. The figures of tourismprof its speaks by itself.

Udhagamandalam, a small tourist locality, has 68 hotels and 46 restaurants in the private
sector. The total number of tourist establishments owned by the Tamil Nadu Tourism
Development Corporation Limited in the whole of Tamil Nadu is nowhere near the private
sector figures; just 26 hotels, 8 youth clubs and 5 restaurants, including one in Delhi. 5 This
clearly indicates who eats the tourism cake in Tamil Nadu.

Tourism: The Road to Development or Dependency ?

Massive conversion of land for non-agricultural purposes like tourism infrastructure
development on the basis of ambiguous benefits is a fallout of the recent policy changes at
global, national and state level. This will surely lead to dependency of various dimensions,
the worst among which is the emerging dependency of village communities on food imports.

The National Action Plan for Tourism of Government of India ( 1 992) and the Master Plan for
Tourism by the Tamil Nadu government are totally silent about the impact on land, food, and
survival of people in the tourism destinations. The development model which puts tourism as
the major economic activity prompts many questions and is dubious in many respects.

End Note

1 The Economic Times dt, 1 3 . 1 2. 1 992.

2 TAHR July-September 1993 Vol. IV No.III. p.7. for details see Master Plan for Hill stations.

3 The Economic Times dt.24.8. 1 992.

4 The Economic Times dt. 17.4. 1 992.

5 Nilgiri Guide, Creative Publications. P.77-78 & Tourism Demand No.50, 1994-95 p. 12.

37

Map showing the East Coast Road

Madras!

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Environmentalists assaulted

The members of the East Coast
Road Action Committee (ECRAC)
and INTACH, Pondicherry,
accompanying the Central team to
examine issues relating to the East
Coast Road, Project, were assaulted
last evening in Kadapakkam
village by a group of persons.

According to the ECRAC, for over
four hours, Mr. Rajendran,
Convenor, ECRAC, Mr. Ajit
Koujalgi, architect from INTACH
Pondicherry and Mr. Srikumar and
Mr. Venkateswaran of the Tamil
Nadu Science Forum and the
members of the ECRAC were
illegally detained by the gang

38

outside a shed. The members of
the ECRAC and INTACH were
assaulted and a statement was
extorted from Mr. Ajit Koujalgi
that he would withdraw the
objections to the ECR. They were
threatened that if they did not
withdraw the writ petition or if they
appeared before the Union
Environment Ministry Committee
at the public hearing today at
Pondicherry, their families would
face dire consequences.

As a result of the assault and
detention, environmental activists
could not reach Pondicherry with
the committee, thereby depriving

them of an opportunity to
demonstrate to the Central team
the ecological, social and economic
damage that would be caused by
building a highway in
contravention of the orders of the
Madras High Court and the
conditions laid down by the Union
Ministry of Environment and
Forests. The ECRAC has
condemned the attempts of certain
vested interests using violence to
prevent environmental activists
from putting forward their views to
the Union Ministry and to "stifle
the constitutional right to resort to
litigation." The ECRAC has
appealed to the Chief Minister, Mr.
M. Karunanidhi to take immediate
action against the assailants.

-The Hindu, 30 May 1996

Z>644tM <m "7<wUA*h,: *)teae& % lamd'Hada

HC stays implementation
of East Coast Road

The Madras High Court has stayed
the implementation of the East
Coast Road project following an
order of the Union Ministry of
Environment and Forests
suspending the clearance granted to
the State government in February
1994.

Mr. Justice Shivaraj Patil who
passed the order, however, asked
the Environment Ministry to
dispose of the representation of the
State Government for revocation of
the suspension of the
environmental clearance as
expeditiously as possible giving
opportunity to the petitioners to put
forth their contentions in the larger
interest of the public.

According to the Advocate
General, in a letter on April 4, the
State PWD instructed the Chief
Engineer (Highways) ECR and
Rural Roads, to stop immediately
all the works including cutting of
trees till the State Government got
suspension of the environmental
clearance. Based on this letter all
the contractors had been asked not
to proceed with the work, which
had now been stopped.

The Judge said from the PWD's
letter (which was brought to the
court's notice by the petitioners)
and the submissions made by the
Advocate General, it followed that
work on the ECR project shall
stand suspended so long as the
order of suspension of the
environmental clearance was
operating.

Initially the Union Government
gave clearance for the project in
February 1 994 subject to certain
conditions, including that mature
trees should not be felled, there
should not be displacement of
persons and those already
displaced should be adequately
compensated and rehabilitated.

The State Government accepted
these conditions and the court
allowed the project to be
implemented.

When the State Government did
not adhere to the conditions, the
petitioners, Consumer Action
Group, INTACH and Mr. M.
Rajendran, Convenor, East Coast
Road Project wrote to the
Environment Ministry about the
violations. The Ministry by a letter
suspended the clearance granted to
the project. The letter said that it
has come to the knowledge of the
Ministry that the authorities were
acquiring more land than what was
indicated earlier, which was likely
to cause significant displacement of
local people.

The State Government, however
denied that there was violation and
requested the Environment
Ministry to revoke the suspension
of environmental clearance.

In December 1995, the court by an
interim injunction restrained the
authorities from felling the trees
and the injunction was still in
force. The State Government
pleaded for vacating the stay on the
ground that only matured trees
were cut and the road alignment
had been changed in such a way
that cutting of trees was avoided,

Even as the hearing was on the
counsel for the petitioner brought
to the notice of the court about the
letter written by the PWD to the
Chief Engineer instructing him to
stop the project. In view of this,
the Judge passed an interim order
suspending the work on the
implementation of the project.

- The Hindu ■ 11. 04.96

Stay On TNHB

Construction

Near Coast

The Green Bench of the Madras
High Court has by an interim
injunction restrained the State
Housing Board from proceeding
with the construction of 100 flats in
Valmikinagar, Thiruvanmiyur, near
the sea coast as the construction is
stated to be in violation of the
coastal zone regulations.

The Bench, comprising the Chief
Justice, Mr K.A.Swami, and Mr.
Justice J. Kanakaraj, however, said
the injunction was without
prejudice to the right of the
respondents - Home Secretary;
Housing Board; Secretary, PWD
and Secretary, Union Ministry of
Environment and Forests - to seek
modification or vacation of the
order.

The interim injunction restrained
the respondents from permitting or
continuing with the construction of
residential apartments in the lands
adjoining Plot No. 15 on the south
eastern side of HI Seaward Road,
Valmiki Nagar, Tiruvanmiyur
pending further orders on this
petition. The petitioner, Mr.
V.R.Menon, of Valmiki Nagar said
the plot was 200 m away from high
tide line. He said the Union
Government had issued a
notification of February 19, 1991
declaring that there should not be
any construction activity in
ecologically sensitive areas.
Moreover for projects exceeding
Rs 5 croies, environmental
clearance was necessary. The area
upto 200 m from the high tide line
was to be earmarked as 'no
development zone' and no
construction should be permitted in
this zone.

The area in and around the
proposed construction was not a
'developed area' as this plot did not
have any existing roads for access,
drainage and approach roads. He
said there were few illegal

39

&4mtj&t&

constructions 300 meters away
from the site on the north eastern
and south eastern sites, which had
come up without proper planning
permission. The petitioner pointed
out that the Supreme Court had
also directed all the State
Governments to meticulously
follow the notification and not to
undertake any activities within the
zone. However, the Housing
Board was constructing the

apartments in contravention of
these regulations.

He said on coming to know about
the proposed construction he had
sent a notice to the Board on
January 2 stating that the
construction would be illegal and
contrary to the notification but
there was no response from the
Board. If these housing units were
allowed to he put up they would

gravely affect the environment.
Also construction of three-
storeyed buildings on the coastline
would result in depletion of
groundwater and would further
block the sea breeze from entering
Valmiki Nagar. Hence the present
petition to forbear the respondents
from carrying on any construction
activity.

The Hindu, 20/2/97

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40

V&Mi&i ok lomiAm; *?teete& % latnit %tdtt

DVAC seals 2 seaside resorts
of Sasikala

CHENNAI, Oct 25: The
Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-
Corruption (DVAC) officials have
sealed two palatial seaside resorts
owned by former TN Chief
Minister J Jayalalitha's friend N
Sasikala and her family, off the
Bay of Bengal at Sholinganallur,
nearly 40 km from the city. The
properties are being valued at about
Rs 9 crore.

Information about the resorts was
unearthed by the DVAC recently
when they were going through the
records of other properties owned
by the family members of Sasikala.
Like other houses, these resorts
have been covered by a big
compound wall. Situated on a two
acre land, the resorts have been
adorned with several luxuries.
They are a class apart compared to
the other houses in the vicinity.

The entire ground has been
provided a flooring with mosaic
tiles and the resorts are constructed
in a fashionable way. The resorts
have got about 20 rooms and and
the cost of construction is
estimated to be at least Rs 5 crore.
Source said the building had been
lying idle for the last one year.

Though most of the work is over in
one resort, the work in another is
not yet over. Both the resorts have
been sealed by the Vigilance
officials.

The construction, its design and the
expenditure on the buildings, take
it to second position compared to
the 200 acre palatial farm house at
Sirudavur.

Two swimming pools have been
constructed inside the complex. A
small compound wall has been
constructed separating the resorts.
They are only a stone's throw away
from the sea. One can have a full
view of the sea from the first floor.
It is learnt that Sasikala had plans
to rent out the buildings but later
had second thoughts.

The houses have cupboards and
drawers made of wood. A number
of lockers have been constructed in
the rooms and are yet to be fitted.

Apart from these bungalows, three
multi-storeyed buildings have been
left half constructed near the VGP
beach resort. It is learnt that the
construction was abandoned at this
stage following the AIADMK's

defeat in the elections five months
ago.

Even the watchman has fled the
place fearing the worst. The house
is now deserted with the gate
locked. The ground has not been
laid properly like the other
buildings acquired by the group
and is now covered with rubbish.
All the granites bought and
transported to these houses have
been left abandoned in the area.

Vigilance officials are probing the
acquisition of the land by Sasikala
and her family members.

One similarity about the buildings
are that polished granite floors had
been laid in all the houses of
Sasikala and several of the
buildings are of similar design.

With these houses, the number of
properties acquired by Sasikala and
her family members have come to
around 1 5 in the coastal area.

- The Indian Express - 26.10.96,
P.K. Sajeesh

Greens oppose road project in
Nilgiris

UDHAGAMANDALAM: The
Department of Highways and Rural
Works, Coimbatore has proposed
to lay an asphalted road from
Masinigudy in Nilgiris to
Bhavanisagar in Periyar district, it
is learnt.

The Tamil Nadu Green Movement
has opposed the project and would
do every thing possible to prevent

it, Green Movement general
secretary A. Rangarajan said in a
statement. He said the proposed
road would pass through the thorn
forests of Sigur, Yazithottham,
Anaikatti, Hallimoyar,

Kallampalyam and

Thengomarahada. The road has
been divided into nine segments
and the total cost would be about
Rs 9 crore.

If the road was taken up, it would
completely truncate the large
habitat and would lead to serious
fragmentation of the forests.
Elephant population migrates to
northern part of Nilgiris Biosphere
Reserve (NBR) and the eastern and
western parts of the NBR and if the
road was formed the animals would
lose their traditional route.

• The Times of India - 25.09.96

41

Z<jt{<ttlfct4

Time for action

The Pleasant Stay Hotel affair

THEKodaikanal hotel case throws
up several interesting issues of
public interest for consideration.

First, the role of the Government
and its officials in environmental
protection. The fundamental basis
of vesting power in governments is
the belief that they will enforce the
law and advance the public interest.
This case shows that the opposite,
in fact, happens. At all levels, be it
the township officials, district
authorities, the Secretary to the
State Government, the Minister or
the Chief Minister, the Government
acted to aid the violator.

The local authorities took little
concrete action to prevent the
illegal construction even when it
was clear to everybody that its
planning permission was being
violated. Even after the injunction
order of the High Court, the local
authorities neither enforced it nor
complained to the court of the
flouting of the order. At the State
Government level, it was worse,
with the mode of assistance
changing from passive observance
to active abetting.

Notwithstanding large-scale
violation of building rules and
construction in defiance of a High
Court order, the Government
ordered relaxation of rules to
regularise the construction. To
achieve this, a protesting Secretary,
the only official in this entire
scenario who did his duty, was
transferred (in hindsight, Ministers
might now see the value of an
upright officer). The copy of the
government order was denied to
the petitioners in the case. During
the pendency of the court
proceedings, laws were amended
and a fresh G.O. was passed to try
and get over the legal challenge.
The pretence of enforcing laws was
given up.

42

Were this an isolated instance, we
may not have cause for alarm.
Unfortunately, this kind of episode
and attitude is re-enacted many
times, though perhaps in less
dramatic and attention-catching
times and circumstances.

Robert Reinow, Professor of
Political Science at the State
University of New York, Albany,
had made some perceptive
observations on the changing
character of government. He has
also drawn attention to the
increasingly important role for
public interest groups.

Reinow writes:

"But worse than corporation
funding is the subversion of
government agencies to the role of
environmental exploiter. The
public interest which should be
championed by the agencies with
their regulations is ignored or
perverted, as the "iron triangle' of
special interests, bureaucrats and
committee chair-person form their
unholy alliance. This means that
the public conscience is entrusted
to volunteers in public interest
groups, a sacrificial burden of
weighty dimensions...

'The outstanding feature of modem
political life is the shifting of the
burden of defence of public interest
to civic volunteers. Organised,
they must dig into their pockets ro
hold their groups together; they
must respond to calls for protests,
launch petition drives, simulate
letter writing campaigns, conduct
rallies, attend hearings and, in
general, mortgage the time of their
personal lives to an unprecedented
extent. Keepers of the social
conscience, they express
themselves openly and
aggressively. When the record of

the environmental movement is
finally registered, the emphasis will
be on the new breed of citizenship
it fostered."

He adds:

"What is becoming clear is that the
restructuring of the democratic
process has altered the pattern of
citizenship. Where once the public
official as in the days of
Washington o r Jefferson has a deep
and honest sense of public
sacrifice, we are today witnessing
the close collaboration of special
interests with governmental
agencies and elected officials. In
the environmental field, the
government too often emerges as
the advocate of exploitation. This
is in large part due to the subtle
private and usually corporate
pressures. Pressure has become a
science that destroys the
governmental shield the citizens
have erected to protect themselves.
It is necessary for the government
to guard against such pitfalls. The
choice is between technological
progress which proceeds without
adequate regard of its
consequences and technological
change that is influenced by a
deeper concern for the interaction
between man's tools and the
human environment in which they
do their work."

These passages were cited with
approval in a judgment rendered by
Justice H. G. Balakrishna of the
Karnataka High Court (AIR, 1 992,
Kar. 57). We cited them in the
Pleasant Stay case. The description
of the role of the Government
seemed to fit. So also that of
public interest groups. The
environmental public interest group
in this case, the Palani Hills
Conservation Council, did pretty
much all that Reinow speaks of.
And did it with a persistence that
was admirable. A reminder to us
that those who undertake an action
in the public defence do it for
society, and therefore must battle
on, even when an unfriendly
government stacks the odds
against.

T>m£m m 7ogt&**/ 1m«ua % t 7a»td%u(u

Let us be thankful for India's
public interest jurisprudence which
permits citizens to move the courts
against public wrongs caused by
our malfunctioning political and
executive branches. This
judgement reinforces the belief in,
and the necessity for, an
independent and strong judiciary
(for mere independence is not good
enough in our times). Justices M
Srinivasan and S . Jagadeesan have
restored the balance in favour of
public interest and reinforced
Benjamin Cardozo's famous
dictum: 'The final cause of law is
the welfare of society."

Accountability is another major
issue. We have a nil accountability
situation in the area of
environmental degradation and
violations of building rules. Town
planners do not seem to be
responsible for buildings coming
up without sanctioned plans, or for
sanctions that violate the rules.
Development authorities do not
seem responsible for chaotic and
skewered growth that by no
definition can be called planned
and orderly development.
Ministers do not seem responsible
for granting large-scale exemptions
that make a mockery of the rules
they are supposed to enforce. Fire
safety safeguards have been
routinely relaxed in Tamil Nadu;
yet no Minister has suffered on this
score.

The question is not merely whether
a particular Minister resigns
following an adverse court verdict;
it is a much larger issue of
accountability a tall levels, starting
from the top, for acts or omissions
that are patently illegal and
detrimental to the public interest.

Individual cases have their value in
highlighting problem areas. To
some extent, they may have a
deterrent value. However,
decisions in individual cases a re no
substitute for the systems reform
that is necessary if we are to deal
with the problem effectively. A
key area of review and reform is
the power of exemption that

statutes invariably give to the
government. More often than not,
such power is misused for personal
gain. In the early days of our
Republic, the Supreme Court
upheld such grant of wide power
on the ground that it would be only
exercised by Ministers and
Secretaries, high officers of the
government.

Regrettably, the standards of these
high officers have fallen rather
steeply. The Supreme Court itself
has made unflattering observations
on the lack of purity in present-day
holders of public office. The
rationale of vesting wide
discretionary power is no longer
present; indeed, all available
evidence points to the need for
strict checks on our leaders.
Excessive discretion and minimal
accountability have been the
hallmarks of our political system.
Rulers have benefited and people
have suffered. It is time for a
reversal.

Any systemic reform will not be
effective unless it squarely focuses
on and deals with corruption.
Corruption has become so
widespread that it is assumed to be,
and probably is, the motive for
every wrongful action of
government. The learned judges in
the Kodaikanal Pleasant Stay Hotel
case have not found that the
impugned orders were passed for
corrupt gain; they confined their
finding to "non-application of
mind". However, facts have an
uncomfortable tendency to speak
for themselves, and common
people will make the plain
statement - "These were not
routine orders (one hopes not);
they went well against the spirit
and letter of legislation specially
enacted to preserve the
environment in hill-stations in
Tamil Nadu. There had to be some
reason why these orders were
passed" - and ask the plain
question - "If they were not passed
for corrupt gain, why were they
passed?"

A lot of action is required if we are

to root out corruption. There is
much that can be done by way of
creative legislation, systemic
checks, transparency and personal
accountability. For the limited
scope of this article, I would only
point out that there is a strong
connection between corruption and
real estate. A great deal of
corruption money is generated by
exemptions, dispensations, favours
and the proverbial Nelson's eye
applied to land and building
transactions. And a great deal of
corruption money is used to buy
real estate.

System reforms that streamline the
land and building industry, reduce
discretion and bring about
accountability will sharply reduce
the flow of corruption money from
this sector. Investigations into
ownership of choice real estate and
the source of money for such
acquisitions are not difficult to
launch and pursue. And, finally,
since such money was obtained by
causing public loss (the definition
of corruption ), it is only reasonable
that such properties should be
confiscated and used for public
purposes.

Sriram Panchu is a lawyer who
practises constitutional and civil
law and takes up public interest
causes on environment and
consumer protection. He appeared
for the successful petitioner in the
Kodaikanal Pleasant Stay Hotel
case.

- Frontline - 05.05.95

43

SijtHlttQHd

New guidelines to curb building
boom

WITH Coonoor attracting a
lot of the tourist traffic
that used to head for
Kashmir earlier, one would have
expected land prices and rents in
this hill station tucked away in the
Nilgiris to go through the roof.

But no such spectacular thing has
happened, particularly in
comparison with the rise in prices
in other parts of the country. And
now the last straw has come in the
form of a ban on all construction
until new guidelines are issued by
Madras.

The ban came into force in May,

properly . 'The b a n o n construction
is not really justified," says
Devaraj. "New guidelines will be
welcome, but they would make a
difference only if, properly imple-
mented. The existing rules were
good enough, it was because they
were not properly enforced that
Coonoor was getting despoiled."

But the ban has been welcomed by
older residents, since it shows that
the state government wants to
prevent Coonoor from going the
way of most hill stations, Ooty
being a case in point. But it has
badly hit people who plan to build
houses in Coonoor.

Investors are flocking to Coonoor from
Coimbatore, about 55 km away. But a recent
ban on construction may save the hill resort,
says K C Krishnadas

when Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J
Jayalalitha visited Coonoor, and
seems to have been prompted by
the recent spate of development,
which has marred the natural
beauty of the place.

The new guidelines - which have
been drafted keeping conservation
a priority - have apparently been
drafted already, but they are yet to
reach the municipal authorities in
Coonoor. Meanwhile, only those
projects which were sanctioned
before May are carrying on
construction.

The confusion is breeding
resentment, with many prospective
builders considering approaching
the courts if the guidelines do not
come through soon. And, as
Coonoor-born architect Vikram
Devaraj points out, construction is
continuing because the rules are
simply not being enforced

44

Before the guidelines are released,
they cannot approach banks for
financial assistance. And most of
the construction in Coonoor is for
residential purposes, points out
Devaraj. A few small office
buildings for the tea industry,
makes up for the rest.

In fact, retired defence personnel
and their families make up nearly
40 per cent of the town's
population. But there has been a
steady influx from Coimbatore
(about 55 km away) and from
Bombay, which has pushed up land
prices at least five-fold in the last
decade.

The most preferred residential
locality in Coonoor today is Grace
Hill, followed by Quail Hill and
Porter Avenue. Five years ago, a
cent of land (approximately 435
square feet) used to cost between
Rs. 15,000 and Rs. 20,000 on

Grace Hill. Now one would have
to shell out anything from Rs.
45,000 to Rs. 50,000.

The price hike of commercial land
has more or less kept pace over the
last five years. Naturally, Coonoor
town has been spreading thanks to
the pressure on land. Elk Hill,
where some 55 residential sites
have been formed is one instance.

The tea estates and the presence of
the United Planters Association of
South India (UPASI) is probably
the only commercial face of
Coonoor. UPASI's Coonoor office
of the site of its annual sessions
and this has prompted retired
planters to buy land and stay here.
They too know the investment
value of Coonoor. Ravi Khandige,
manager of the Taj Garden Retreat
(formerly Hampton Manor) says
rents have trebled in the last three
years. And a house with one acre
of garden space, which cost Rs. 1.5
lakh in 1978, now costs as much as
Rs. 35-40 lakh.

Major corporations are moving into
what looks like a promising
market. The Kothari Industrial
Corporation Limited has nearly
two dozen cottages in Glendale
Estates.

Brook lands, adjacent to a stream
three km outside city limits, has
been developed as a residential
layout by the Kotharis. About 100
sites have been carved out of this
area, earlier part of a tea estate.
Construction was left to individuals
and several houses have come up.
A few sites are still available, but
prices have increased from around
Rs. 7000 a cent in 1982 to around
Rs. 20,000 now.

If industrialists are not developing
the estates to sell them off, they are
buying them. Guest houses of
some blue chip companies are to be
found in Coonoor. So popular is
this little resort among city
dwellers that local residents have
found it profitable to let out their
homes as guest-houses for short
durations.

*D*Mit* m *?&#&&*; It&ueA % *7&tK&*H*d*

Now, a hotelier from B angalore is
developing about 50 independent
residential houses on the Kotagiri
road. Well planned, several of the
houses have been booked and
construction is already in progress.

The residential boom has also hit
the tea industry, responsible for the
first eyesores in Coonoor. The
Coonoor landscape was
unblemished until tea warehouses
began to be built. There was never
any fixed warehousing area and the
Tea Association planned to get
some land outside the town, but the
plan is still on hold.

With residential land bringing in
quick money without tears, some
tea estate owners have also been
attempting to convert at least part of
the estates into residential sites.
Opposition from the Tea Board and
labour has, however, checked this
tendency to some extent. But some
lovely pear gardens have not
escaped and are being converted
into more lucrative residential units.

But isn't municipal control
basically the job of the
corporation? In fact, it is taking an
active interest in the problem, but
with scores of Sri Lankan refugees
being brought to Coonoor, much
forest and private land around the
hilly paradise has been encroached
upon.

The water supply system is of 60
years' vintage and there is no
proper sewerage system. Water is
pumped from the Bandamai spring
into Ralaih Dam, located some
seven kilometres from Coonoor but
now the dam has to be desilted.
Plans to desilt the dam were drawn
up over two years, but nothing has
been done till date.

Three years ago, there was a major
water shortage. While the
electricity supply is adequate, other
infrastructure has simply been
unable to keep pace with
Coonoor's growth rate.

formulated by the Town Planning
Committee in the 1940s and 1950s
had been updated in the 1970s but
without allowing leeway for future
growth. They are angry that staff
in the municipal office are not
recruited locally. This, they say,
bodes ill for the region, because
only those bora and bred here will
give Coonoor's quiet beauty
priority over development.

Even when the new guidelines
come through, there could be a
fresh storm of protest, since each
plan wiir then have to be cleared
from Madras.

Devaraj, who says he does not
accept clients whose project do not
go with the landscape, is still
waiting for a copy of the
guidelines. But once the details
are clear at least construction will
pick up again in Coonoor.

Houseowners say that rules - The Economic 7 Imes - 13.12.92

45

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Stately Country Homes at KODAJ
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46

PoM&t oh 7<ut>um; <?44tt€4 % lamcfHuda

Distribution of workforce in Tamil nadu { 1991 )

No. of workers

% to total

(in thousand)

Cultivators 5,664

24.84

Agricultural labour 7,896

34.63

Livestock, fishing, hunting & plantation 463

2.03

Mining & quarrying 69

0.30

Household industry 803

3.52

Other than household industry 2,395

10.50

Construction 489

2,14

Trade & commerce 1 ,980

8.68

Transport, storage & communication 704

3.09

Other services 2,335

10.24

Total 22,799

100.00

1 Degree of urbanisation

(% of urban/

Town density

total pop.)

(towns/
1000 sq km)

1901

14.15

0.93

1911

15.07

1.15

1921

15.85

1.33

1931

18.02

1.53

1941

19.70

1.73

1951

24.35

2.02

1961

26.62

2.02

1971

30.16

1.85

1981

32.96

1.88

1991

34.30

2.00

- Front Line -06.10.95

Tamil Nadu

North Arcot-
Ambedkar

• Madras

Ch«igaipat»u*MGR

iruruvarmamalai

/Sambuvarayar

Tifuchirappalli

Villuguram Ramasamy
fV Padayatchiar

Pond»eherry

South Arcot
Vallalar

Nagapartinam
Qtiaid-e-Millath

Madurai

Kamaraiar

KaBatoomrnan

f^^f" Thanjavur

)*> Pudukottai
Pasumpon
[ Muthuramalinga Thevar

ff RamanamapJtram
Chiambafanar

47

£aua£i&t4

inflow which could damage ecologically fragile regions. By adapting this term theforestbill
uses it as a weapon against local people from entering the forest for their livelihood. Of
course it cannot ban the leisure tourist who is invited into the forests with red carpet. Nor the
tourism industry which it promotes with tax cuts and subsidies, building resorts with hot
water swimming pools and shopping arcades right in the middle of reserved forests.

With two biosphere reserves, one in the Nilgiris and another in the Gulf of Mannar, Tamil Nadu
is the cream of eco-tourism in India. With 14 wild life sanctuaries and five national parks
including a marine national park covering a total forest area of 2834 sq.k.m. the government is all
set to reap the foreign exchange. Every effort is made to infrastructure development and new
programmes for adventure tourism to attract hoards of tourists into this region.

But the people who are part and parcel of these regions are nowhere in the picture. They
could be 'rehabilitated * to some barren rocks away from the regions of livelihood or could
take up menial jobs in the resorts or sell their culture and be part of those 'multitudes who
are directly and indirectly employed' by the fastest growing industry, tourism.

Nilgiris: Blind alley to profit

Ruthless exploitation of nature and resources initiated by the colonialists continues till
today unchanged in the Nilgiris Region. Even today Colonialist John Sullivan's ghost
roams around the tourism brochures on Udagamandalam. While the patriotic Latin
Americans have categorically declared: Columbus did not 'discover' instead, invaded us.
When the greed for blind profiteering by the moneyed class exceeds, nature has her in-built
mechanisms to expose her wrath. Over exploitation of nature and resources, ignoring the
resourceful knowledge of the local community and even the limited scientific knowledge
has led to disastrous calamities to nature in these regions.

Perpetual floods and land slides are haunting these regions in the last two decades. There
had been more than 350 major and minor land slides in The Mettupalayam - Coonoor and
Mettupalayam - Kotagiri Sections. 6 Mono-culture tea cultivation initiated by the British
Colonialists, still continues with multinational and public sector occupying more that 53%
of the total cultivated area, from steep slopes to the road side and meadows without proper
soil and water conservation. Depletion of forest for extending the plantations and
plantation related fuel needs desertise the region.

Tourism Industry: Cause for Land Slides

The undue protection tourism industry enjoys in the rhetoric of 'no smoke industry' and
the ability of the private sector's black money to buy and silence any opposition has given
rise to mushrooming of hotel industry in the Nilgiris region. The extra thrust given to this
industry to attract more tourist requires more infrastructure. Tourist centres in the Nilgiris
region being small townships, the hotel industry pushes itself into the hills and agricultural
52

?>te4iM m *?0m&m: <?44«e4 % *7a*tul %t^h

areas. Loading of the steep slopes with heavy concrete multi-storied buildings is a major
cause for land slides. "All the multi-storied hotels in Ooty andCoonoor have been built
right on top of hills unmindful of the risk involved". 7 Hill areas being geologically fragile
is prone to land slides. But the greed for profit overtakes all safety measures and the
constructions continues unheeded.

Heavy vehicular traffic in these regions, on the criss-crossing roads are another major cause
of land slides, the devastating contribution of the tourism industry. Uncontrolled quarrying
for the benefit of tourism related constructions also leaves its impact to the disaster.

Tea plantation alone sucks off Rs.150 crores annually, one-tenth of the National
production, from this region. 8 The hidden profit of hotel industry and travel services is
anybody's guess. But the questions to be asked is how much of these profits goes to the
preservation of nature? What measure can the state and central governments take to plough
back atleast a percentage of the profits to the unending and irreparable destruction these
industries cause to the nature, for restoration? Or more fundamentally, can any amount of
money restore the ecology which has taken millions of years to form an ecosystem?

Water: Life saviour for pleasure

Major portion of precious water in the Nilgiris is consumed by the plantations, hotels and
resorts for their private profits, the very 'destructers' of the forests and catchment areas. A
hill area like Udhagamandalam is facing acute water shortage during the summer months.

Nilgiris hills is one of the major catchment area with its innumerable streams, the major
contributor in Tamil Nadu's irrigation and power generation. "No less than 1 100 streams
originate in the four major watersheds of these hills. The rivers Moyar and Bhavani,
formed by these streams, are dammed at Bhavani Sagar to irrigate 2.5 lakh acres of land in
Coimbatore and Periyar districts. The water then contribute substantially to the Cauvery.
By damming the rivers upstream, the Nilgiris produce 40% of the total hydrel power
generation of the state." 9 The majestic forests, the high altitude and the forest cover-
related climate, generate water to the state which otherwise has a dry climate. But there is
a visible uncertainty and decline in the rain fall pattern in the Nilgiri region. l °

RAINFALL IN NILGIRIS DURING 1902-1990

53

The alarming rate of depletion of shola forests and meadows for plantations and tourism
related construction industry may be a direct link to the climatic changes and the decrease
in the rain fall. The industries are capable of violating and taming the laws in their favour.
Forest conservation and protection rhetoric of the politicians and the forest officials are
meant only for the poor who live by the forests.

DEPLETING SHOLAS AND MEADOWS 1 !

Tourism industry is the ill omen in the life of the local people in Nilgiris. Star hotels and
resorts pose grave threat to the drinking water of the local people by their wasteful
consumption. Average water consumption in star hotels is 36 times more than the average
use of water by a person living in an ordinary hotel or home. Water meant for the domestic
agricultural activity of local people is siphoned off by the tourism industry for pleasure,
leaving the local farmers helpless. The industry tries to overcome the water shortage by
exploiting ground water which again have dangerous fallouts.

54

Vetedm g* %m&m; %mu % ln**td%KJn

Protecting Nature or Protecting Tourism ?

According to the Draft Wildlife Tourism Guidelines for India, 5 million hectares of forest
with the status of 'protected area' is earmarked for tourism in the pretext that only tourism
could protect the wilderness. There is no mention of the forest dwellers or the local people
nor do they have any role to play. The entire forest is at the mercy of the tourists with
only the bureaucracy to manage even the wild animals which have to parade before the
tourists every time the tourist comes for an 'animal sighting.'

Shift to nature-based tourism occupies every glossy tourism brochure today. Nature
becomes 'places of interest' to tourism industry. Policies to attract more and more tourist
to nature tourism and make their stay longer with no restrictions whatsoever, is what
tourism industry and Tamil Nadu government preach today.

The vibrancy of nature, its various and minute organisms and its inter-relationship and the
people who live and maintain the delicate balance becomes irrelevant to the policy makers
in their mad chase for profit. Commodifying nature and people to be 'gazed at' reflects the
'concern' of the ruling class to their own people.

Pushing hordes of tourists into virgin forests without considering its impact leads to total
extinction of the forests itself. Concerned people and groups have studied the carrying
capacity impacts of such unchecked tourist traffic especially in forest areas. Neither the
tourist nor the environment is benefited by the mass tourism.

Uncontrolled tourism into wilderness is today touted as the only conservation tool for
endangered eco-systems. Deeper studies are increasingly pointing to the danger of this.
Various hazards of nature based tourism to reserve forests and wild life sanctuaries had
been pointed out by environmentalists:

• "The collection of flowers, plants by the tourists results in change in species
composition.

• Careless use of fire in parks often cause major fires.

• Deliberate chopping of trees for tent poles and fire wood damage the age
structure of plant community.

• Overenthusiastic and thoughtless viewing and photography results in the
disruption of feeding and breeding patterns of animals.

• Development of highways and trails through parks in areas which are
traditionally feeding and breeding areas forces wildlife to relocate itself.

• The extension of tourism also results in change of wildlife habits.

• The capture and killing of animals increases with the growing demand for wild
life souvenirs." 1 2

Also, discarded foodwaste with synthetic taste and colouring agents, when consumed by
wild species affects their delicate biological and reproductive systems.

55

£$ft{ttt & (<f

In the mad chase for profits, conservation and maintenance rules and regulations occupies
no meaning to the authorities. As for the urban tourist, nature is merely a commodity for
leisure and pleasure from the maddening urban life. Neither have any concern for the
damage they contribute to the nature, wildlife or people.

While the very policy of tourism into wilderness remains debatable, questions like who
controls and checks the tourist inflow into forests, what check measures are taken against
violation of plant and animal rights, will the forest officials also be liable for penal
sanctions along with violators of rules and regulations and what happens to the people and
their forest related economic activity are things of grave concern.

Turbulent Coastal scene

There is increasing shift of tourism activities to the pristine coasts of Tamil Nadu
unmindful of the coastal environment and community. This region extending the entire
length of Tamil Nadu, covering almost 1000 km. is one of the most fertile and water rich
agricultural regions.

This coast is already under tremendous pressure with the introduction of aquaculture and
shrimpf arms. Agricultural land had been converted to farms and ground water tapped in
extensive quantity. This has left the coastal groundwater table depleted and salinated
affecting agricultural, drinking water sources. Mangrove forests, streams and other fresh
water bodies were also greatly affected. Chemical residue from feed, drugs which had
seeped into water table would have far reaching effects on the coastal ecology. In places

like whole villages are deserted because of this disastrous industry. It took peoples

groups years together to study, analyse and fight against this menace. The recent verdict
of Supreme court of India to close all shrimpfarms along the coast is the result of
courageous peoples struggle.*

The coast is protected under the Coastal Zone Regulation Act 1991. Under this Act
construction activities are prohibited within 500 mts. of high tide line (HTL).

But even in this Act tourism industry enjoys benefits since they are allowed construction
activities beyond 200 mts. Even within 200 mts. vegetation and gardens could be set up.
Realising the power of tourism lobby and their ability to influence politicians and
bureaucrat there is every chance for violation of this law. Constant monitoring by people's
groups is the only remedy.

• This historical judgement dt. 1 1 dec. 1996 in favour of Writ Petition (Civil) No.56l of 1994, is binding to all coastal
states and union territories.

56

*D#44dm m *?&&&*»: *}muc& % t 7amd *H&du

ECR-Roadto Doom

This highway from Madras to Kanyakumari is a living example for what destruction a
highway could bring to the environment and people. The first phase - Madras to Cuddalore
- is already complete. This road is funded by Asia Development Bank (ADB) to the tune of
Rs. 600 crores. The planning of the road itself was without people's consent and denying
the right to information. It had divided villages, destroyed temples and uprooted trees.
Peoples groups intervention could only partly save by way of redesigning the road.
Builder- politician nexus came openly here by physically attacking representatives of
people's groups.

This road is also a testimony of how the much propagated infrastructure development
would help the local people. Individuals and industrial houses have bought thousands of
acres of land on either side of the East Coast Road in the name of farms, resorts, time
shares and golf courses. The sea coast along this road has the major fishing centres of
Tamil Nadu. Fishing villages and community land is being privatised for non fishing
activities violating all norms set by the Coastal Zone Regulations. By looking at the pace
of violations in this region there is little chance of survival of traditional fishing and
fishing communities.

End Note

I Conservation and development of sanctuaries and national parks and biosphere reserve. Note from Principal Chief
Conservator of Forests, Tamil Nadu dt. 1 4, 1 2. 1 993

2TAHR July-September 1994. Vol.V No.3. p.9.

3 Draft wildlife tourism guidelines for India. Ministry of Environment and Forests. 3 i. 3. 1994.

4 Gene pool in peril, Usha Rai. The Indian Express. 3. 1.1 994.

5 Action plan for biosphere reserve. Nature and resources. UNESCO, p.6,8,9.

6 Krishnan B.J, Save Nilgiris Campaign. Press Note. p. 2.

7 Ibid. p.5.

8 The Nilgiris. P. 18. Compiled by D.Venugopal.

9 Krishnan B.J. Save Nilgiris Campaign. Press Note. p.l.

10 Measures for preserving ecology of the Nilgiris. Dr.Somaraj P. The Hindu. 10.4.1992.

I I Shola conservation education programme. The Nilgiris. 1994-95. p. 12.

12 Narayan Dutt and Mridula. Management plans for conservation of wild life. International journal of management
and tourism. Vol.1. No.2. Octo-Decm 1992. p.21 1.

57

SmatfottA

Ecologically -Sensitive Spots

The Ministry of Environment and Forests requires listing of ecological sites within 25 km
of any proposed ma jor development scheme. Listed below are coastal sites that will be
directly or indirectly affected by the ECR:

Covelong

- Tourist Spot

Mamallapuram

- World Heritage Site

Cheyur

- Salt Pans

Yedayanthitta

- Salt Pans

Marakkanam Creek

- Nesting Site for Migratory Birds/Salt Pans

Marakkanam

- Reserved Coastal Evergreen Forest Remain

Kaliveli Tank

- Marshland7Bird Sanctuary

Pudupet

- Sacred Grove, Coastal Evergreen Forest Remain

Bommapalayam

- Canyons

Tiruvakkarai

- Cuddalore Sandstone, Best Fossiliferous Site for
Miocene Geological Period in India.

Aryankuppam

- Estuary

Arikamedu

- Archaeological Site

Porto Novo

- Centre for Advanced Studies in Marine Biology

Pichavaram

- Mangroves

Poompuhar

- Archaeological and Historic Site

Tarangambadi

- Historic Site

Talainayar

- Reserved Coastal Evergreen Forest

Point Calimere

- Wildlife Sanctuary

Vedaranyam

- Swamp likely to Floor

Muttupet

- Mangroves

Kaveri Delta, Tanjavur

- Dense Network of Irrigation Canals from Pichavaram
Mangroves to point Calimere and Beyond

Vembar

- Coastal Sandy Stretch around Vembar, Freshwater
and Saltwater Islands, Best Beach in India, Unique
Sand Dunes

Kail

- Ancient Historic Port

Gulf Of Mannar

- Biosphere Reserve

58

T>944im m *?«mHmi Itetttt % 7*mrt 'TUxU

Tourist centre that's a decentralisation model

My travels have brought me once
more to Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu.
This time I have come almost
directly from China with only a
few days in Singapore and Bombay
in between. The contrasts are
saddening and grim. We hate
being compared to other countries
because most Indians like to think
of ourselves as somehow unique,
somehow endowed with problems
that nobody else has: too many
people, too big and diverse a
country, too much poverty, blah,
blah, blah. But China is the one
country that we cannot deny that
there are comparisons with. It is
bigger, more populated and in
many ways continues to have more
problems that we do but the
difference is that whereas in China
you get the feeling that things are
getting better in India, almost
wherever you go, you get the
feeling that they are getting worse.

Kodaikanal is a good example of
how much worse they are getting
and a superb example of why this
is so. Till ten years ago it was one
of those idyllic retreats that the
British built to escape the heat of
Indian summers. They built
themselves little English cottages
around a beautiful lake and English
clubs, golf courses and other
facilities for entertainment. When
Raj days rich Indians took over and
kept the place pretty much as it was
with its lake, American missionary
school and Carlton Hotel as
virtually its central features. There
were not many roads and not much
going on except in the schools that
slowly mushroomed but the few
tourists that did come here
remembered it as a place of great
beauty and calm, of clean air and
long walks.

Then development came. And, this
is what it has done to Kodaikanal.
Every day thousands of tourists
come up in buses from Coimbatore

and Madurai. The buses choke the
town's tiny bazaar with exhaust
fumes and the sound of blaring
horns and come in such large
numbers that it becomes impossible
to even walk in the bazaar.
Tourism has become such an
important source of income for
Kodaikanal that everyone is trying
to get into it so that restaurants
have sprung up in every nook and
cranny and the little souvenir
shops dot the promenade around
the lake. Along with the tourists
have come the so-called
developers, real estate sharks who
want to build, build, build,
breaking all the laws, so that they
can make money as fast as they
can.

In short, this town of around
50,000 people is in the process of
being destroyed by what we like to
call development but what is really
the worst possible kind of
development since it is taking
place, as in other parts of India,
without even the minimum amount
of planning. And, that really is the
key to what is going wrong in India
and right in China. We have quite
simply not planned for the kind of
development we want or even
thought sufficiently about how that
planning can best be implemented.

In China because they planned
ahead almost the first thing that
they did when they began their
economic reforms was to
decentralise power right down to
the village level. In India because
the only planning we have ever
known is central planning we have
still not even begun to think of
decentralisation even though we
are technically being ruled at the
moment by a conglomerate of
regional satraps.

It is in a town like Kodaikanal that
you really understand the
importance of decentralisation. Let

us, for instance, take its haphazard,
unplanned, destructive

development. The reason why it
has happened is because the town
is governed mainly by officials
who are appointed by the Tamil
Nadu government and who are sent
up, often kicking and screaming,
from the plains. Local people tell
me that most of these officials
consider Kodaikanal a punishment
posting so they leave their families
in the plains and head homewards
every weekend. The duties they
perform for the town can,
inevitably, only be of the most
perfunctory kind.

Now if, on the other hand,
Kodaikanal was being governed by
local people who had a feeling for
the town they would have ensured
that they paid more attention to
how development came and how
its ill-effects could be curbed. To
save the town centre, for instance,
all that is required are traffic
regulations that would prevent
vehicles from going beyond a
certain point. To stop the constant
blaring of horns there could be
similar restrictions and to save the
lake there could be strict
regulations that prevented hotels
from dumping sewage into it. Just
these handful of small measures
could begin the process of saving
Kodaikanal from being turned into
a complete dump.

Kodaikanal has a citizens council
which is extremely concerned
about saving the town and it has
often resorted to activism to try and
improve the town. There have
been cleaning up drives and anti-
noise pollution drives but, in the
end, their biggest problem is that
there is no official they can turn to
who would be in a position to
really help them. So, all their
endeavours have failed including
their attempts to restrict the
unplanned mushrooming of hotels

59

&<fc<&tiott4

that break every building bye-law
as they put up their ugly new
structures. Tourism has become
such a lucrative business here that
even Jayalalitha and her friend
Sasikala Natarajan have attempted
to set up hotel here. In Sasikala's
case she virtually seized a property
belonging to Kodaikanal
international school to try and
make her hotel dream come true.

If Kodaikanal had its own powerful
local government which controlled
even its own police and raised its
own taxes none of these things
could have happened. There would
also have been better infrastructure-
roads, hospitals, electricity,
schools-because local government
has to answer more directly to the
people than any other.

Ironically, there are panchayat
elections going on at this very
moment in Kodaikanal. Vast
amounts of money are being spent
on cars that screech their messages
from the early hours of the morning
till late into the night. When I
asked a local resident how so much
money was being spent on such a
minor election I was told that one
of the main candidates was a rich
and powerful local man who was
widely regarded as 'a Mafia type'.
"They say he has made huge
money out of forest contracts and
they say he will win because he has
promised all poor people land."

The funny thing is that even a local
government headed by a local
crook could do more, eventually,
for towns like Kodaikanal than
some supposedly honest official
sitting in distant Madras. The same
is true for villages and towns all
over the country. Standards of
living will only improve when they
are ruled by local people even if
they are only local crooks.

All-party meet demands scrapping
of Master Plan

Tavleen Singh

UDHAGAMANDALAM, June 1 1
- Scrapping o f the Master Plan
(new building rules) in toto and
ban on toll collection were the two
things stressed by most of the
speakers at the all-party and non-
governmental agencies meeting
organised by the district unit of the
DMK here today.

P.M. Mubarak, Gudalur MLA and
district secretary of the DMK, who
presided over the meeting, assured
the large gathering that these two
demands of the public would be
met by the new government as
Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has
promised to the people of the
district during his visit to Ooty six
months ago that if the DMK was
voted to power the Master Plan
would be scrapped.

Some speakers, however,
expressed their opposition to the
total withdrawal of the Master
Plan. They wanted the rules to be
relaxed in such a way that the poor
are not affected. They said that
relaxing the rules is the need of the
hour to restore the pristine glory of
the district.

L.Moolchand, president of the
Nilgiris Chamber of Commerce
and Industry, demanded a total
scrapping of the Master Plan and
restoration of the old district
Municipalities Act. He suggested
that in order to meet the firewood
shortage and to preserve the
ecology and environment of the
Nilgiris, electric crematoriums
must be set up in Udhagamandalam
and Coonoor.

Referring to over-congestion in the
existing market complex he
suggested setting up of a wholesale
grain, vegetable and fruit market
with adequate lorry parking
facilities at a convenient place at
the entrance of Udhagamandalam.

In order to improve hygenic
conditions he wanted the
authorities to regulate the
mushrooming of meat, fish and
poultry stalls and suggested sale of
meat and fish in the protected stalls
in the municipal area.

Bhojan, district president of the
BJP, demanded two more
government arts and science
colleges in Gudalur and Kotagiri
block. Explaining the agony of
small tea growers, he said that tea
factories decline to buy green tea
leaves beyond certain limit. Hence
three more cooperative tea factories
should be set up one each in
Thumanatty, Sholur and
Kookalthorai villages.

District Janata Dal representatives
stayed away from the meeting
opposing the invitation extended to
non-governmental agencies.
However, it sent a letter praising
the organisers for holding the
meeting. K. Kalian, former MLA
and TMC local functionary,
regretted that over the past many
years the DDC meeting at the
collectorate had become a place of
tamasha and the DDC meeting
should be given a new lease of life
by the present MLAs, he requested.

Motilal Kattaria, president of the
Nilgiris Civil Rights Protection
Association, pointed out that the
blanket ban on felling of trees in
the district has affected the small
farmers.

The harvest of green tea leaves is
being adversely affected with the
pruning of silver oak trees, which
gives shadows to the tea.

Dr. B.R. Kanikkaraj, president of
Ex-servicemen Welfare

Association, Nilgiris, demanded
that the alternate route from Ooty
to Coimbatore via Manjoor,
Kethai, Welliangadu and

60

*D&44ie* 0* %&ti4m/ $44w* % lamd'Hada

Karamadai would be laid soon as
the existing highways is prone to
landslide.

He also demanded bifurcation of
Ooty and Gudalur taluks with

Manjoor and Pandalur as the
headquarters for the new taluks.

T.Gundan, Ooty MLA, Mubarak,
Gudalur MLA and N. Thangavelu,
Coonoor MLA promised to take up

all problems of the district with the
Chief Minister and get them
addressed.

- The Indian Express - 12.06.96

The blues of construction in the
Blue Mountains

WHILE many a common
man in the Nilgiris
district, who had
suffered the agony of not being
able to construct his house,
restrained by the "unilateral" way
in which the New Building rules
(NBR) of the erst-while
Government are now eager to lay
the corner stone. Still they too are
to be sensitive to a note of caution
through the words of Edison
Haines. "With every civil right
there has to be a corresponding
civil obligation." When Ms.
Jayalalitha's announcement had
come quite out of the blue, it had
evoked mixed reactions among
various sections of the society in
the Nilgiris. Since she had made
the announcement while
inaugurating the annual floral
carnival, at the Government
Botanical Gardens here and that
too in the presence of the then
Union Minister for Civil Aviation
and Tourism Mr. Madhavrao
Scindia before a large gathering,
ostensibly to preserve this
ecologically sensitive district and
to check the "proliferation of ugly
buildings," many people here
welcomed it, as a better late than
never measure.

However, when the NBR came into
force, a Master Plan was drawn up
and a move was made to extend the
Tamil Nadu District Municipalities
(Hill Stations) Amendment Act,
1992 to the entire Nilgiris District,
"in total violation of the
constitutional and civic rights of
the citizens of the Nilgiris," the
people were up in arms.

Asserting that the people of the
Nilgiris were entitled to exercise
their rights guaranteed under the
constitution of India, the Nilgiris
Citizens Civil Rights Protection
Society (NCCRPS), which had
come into being almost overnight,
out of necessity, felt that the
amendments, theNBR, the Master
Plan and the Development Control
Rules had all been made arbitrarily,
infringing upon the rights of the
people of the Nilgiris. Claiming
that the classification of zones and
restrictions in land use had been
done without considering the
existing ground realities, the
Society had pointed out that many
plots of land purchased by the
native population for construction
of buildings had been classified as
wooded Agricultural, prohibited
etc. Plots which did not have even
a single tree had been brought
under the classification, "Wooded
land areas."

Stating that the parameters of
development and the minimum plot
extents were humanly impossible
to observe and comply with, the
Society had pointed out that to
insist on a plot of 1000 sq.ft for the
construction of residential
buildings was something beyond
the capacity of even the affluent
persons. Describing the

demarcation of zones for the
economically weaker section as,
"highly discriminatory," the
Society had pointed out that the
constitution of an Architectural and
Aesthetic Aspects (AAA)
Committee, by the Government to
examine building plans was
impractical. It has wanted the

rights to grant permission be vested
with the local authorities, instead of
the committee or the Government.
Adverting to the ban on building
activities being extended to the
rural areas, Mr. B. J. Krishnan,
President of the Save Nilgiris
Campaign (SNC) had observed
then that it would cause unimagin-
able hardship to the villager of the
district, who was the last person to
pollute the environment.

With the common people being
subjected to a great deal of misery,
due to the NBR, other
organisations like the Nilgiris
Builders Forum (NBF) had come
into being. Innumerable

representations to the Government
of the day, had fallen on deaf ears.
However, those who 'can' take up
anything and those who can take
on anybody do indulge in
construction activities with
impunity.

Opposing the new rules, a
mammoth rally headed by Mr. T.
Gundan, the present MLA
(Udhagamandalam) was organised
on August 1 6th 1993, in which
thousands of persons, from all over
the district participated, though the
then Chief Minister Ms.
Jayalalitha, at a public meeting in
Coonoor, had promised t o look into
the issue, nothing tangible had
come out of it. During this year's
General elections, this local issue
had come into sharp focus and
apart from Mr. Gundan, others
including Mr. S. R.
Balasubramaniam, present, MO.
Mr. P. M. Mubarak and Mr. N.
Thangavelu, present MLAs had
promised that, if elected, their first
task would be to fight for the
scrapping of the NBR.

61

jPgmiVflwdi

Incumbent Chief Minister, prior to
the elections, Mr, M. Karunanidhi,
also gave an assurance to that
effect. A 1 1 h e last session of t h e
Tamil Nadu Assembly, Mr,
Gundan, had described the
amendment as a "black act" and
appealed to the Government to
frame pragmatic rules practical and
implement them without causing
any hardship tt the common man.
Now that the DMK government
had announced that the stipulation
of a minimum area of twenty four
cents for getting building
permission here has been removed
totally and that a new Master Plan
would be prepared with the
assistance of experts, and district
representatives and that the
Government has delegated the

powers vested with it under Section
217(D), (E) 217(F) of the District
Municipalities Act to the Collector
of the Nilgiris, the v wards' of the
Blue Mountains have heaved a
collective sigh of relief. While the
first section relates to grant licence,
the second one takes care of the
power to cancel or suspend licence
and the last one is with regard to
the period of 1 icence.

The NBR, which had caused much
heart burn, among the people here,
over the past four years or so, is the
subject of outrage and debate in
coffee shops, households, clubs
and any other place Mr. B. J.
Krishna pointed out, "It is our bitter
experience that the administrative
bottle-necks in the previous

government, had only bred
"bureaucratic corruption' at.
Members of the Nilgiris Citizens
Civil rights Protection Society,
while expressing their gratitude to
the DMK government, expressed
the hope that the people themselves
would regulate construction
activities for all round benefit. Mr.
Philip Mathew, President of the
Nilgiris Builders Forum, hoped that
the Government would accord
representation for its nominees on
the proposed committees to be
constituted by the Government to
prepare a new Master Plan. That is
what is eagerly awaited now.

Dr. Radhakrishnan,
The Hindu -09.11.96

62

Vo44cn m *?wn&m: ttemA % lamii %tdn

Environmentalists deplore
plundering of Nilgiri hills

UDHAGAMANDALAM: The
Nilgiris Wild Life and Environ-
ment Association has severely
criticised the environmental
pollution in the Nilgiris.

In its latest news letter, the
association has stated that the need
of the hour was to create awareness
about environment among the
people.

Due to various factors affecting the
ecology, water has become a scarce
commodity in the Nilgiris, which
once had plentiful water resources.

Now a days, water has to be
brought from Ootacamund to cater
to the needs of Ooty.

It said holding capacity of many
reservoirs and hydroelectric
projects had reduced due to silting.
Several tonnes of fertile soil had
been washed away, the association
lamented.

A look over the Nilgiris plateau
would bring shame to the
administrators for allowing
cultivation on the grass hills in
violation of existing laws.

Tribal life is often taken as an
example of environmental
excellence, but this is not true. The
shift-cultivation method adopted by
the tribals once has hit the hills, the

news letter said.

It pointed out that it was the growth
in human population and their
subsequent incursion into forest
land which has wreaked
environmental havoc.

The news letter suggested that
children in schools and colleges be
made knowledgeable about the eco-
disaster and generally about
environment by starting local
environment clubs, nature clubs etc.

The uncaring attitude of the tourists
could be witnessed at the
panoramic Doddabetta which is
strewn with paper bags and plastic
covers.

This only stressed the dire and
immediate need to educate the
visitors, the news letter said,

Rs 25 lakh sanctioned: Nilgiris
Collector P. Sonar told reporters
here recently that Rs 25 lakh had
been sanctioned under the Hill
Area Development Programme to
clear the debris and setting right the
Breeks School open air stadium.
Another Rs 10 lakh had been
sanctioned for clearing debris in
Gandhi Maidan.

He said both the grounds would be
cleared of all debris and wild
growth and made suitable for use.

- The Times of India -09.11.96

Vegetation

mapping of

Nilgiri biosphere

THE French Institute at
Pondicherry has prepared detailed
vegetation maps for the Nilgiri
Biosphere Reserve (NBR). The
maps, at a scale of 1 : 1 ,00,000 (one
centimetre representing one
kilometer), show the forests,
plantations and other vegetation
within the biosphere reserve.

NBR is the first biosphere reserve
to be notified in the country.
Demarcated in 1986, the reserve
covers over 5,200 sq. km of
contiguous tracts in Tamil Nadu,
Karnataka and Kerala. It stretches
up to the Coorg hills in Karnataka
and the Palakkad hills in Kerala, in
addition to the Nilgiri district of
Tamil Nadu.

Speaking to Business Line.lhe
Director of the French Institute had
prepared four maps for the area, the
one covering the northern part was
yet to receive the requisite
clearance. The three other maps
were recently published by the
Institute.

The maps use the unique colour
coding scheme introduced by the
Institute. According to Dr. V. M.
Meher-Homji, Director of
Research, Department of Ecology,
the colour scheme signifies the
various bio-climates. While
regions with high humidity are
indicated by blue and arid regions
by brown, red denotes higher
temperature and yellow lower
temperatures.

The bio-climates in the maps are
shown by a mix of these colours.
The colour used for the regions on
top of the Nilgiri hills is green,
where the bio-climate is a
combination of cold and humid.
The warm and humid tropical
evergreen forests on the sides of
the mountain block is represented
by violet which is a combination of
red and blue.

63

According to Dr. G. Bourgeon,
Head of the Department of
Ecology, the process of mapping
took about five years. The field
work was a collaborative effort of
Dr. R. Prabhakar of the Centre for
Ecological Sciences at the Indian
Institute of Science, Bangalore, and
Dr. J.P. Pascal, former Director of
the French Institute. Satellite
images obtained by the French
SPOT satellite and published by
the National Remote Sensing
Agency were used as the base
document for the ground truthing
exercise.

The French Institute has an on-
going project for the mapping of
forests of the Western Ghats in
South India at a 1 : 2,50,000 scale.
While three out of the six maps
have already been published, the
other three are in various stages of

production.

Using this colour gradation, the
map has also marked out the
vegetational pattern at various
altitudes. The dense evergreen
forests of the Silent Valley have
been demarcated into the three
altitudinal zones of low elevation
(below 750 m altitude), medium
elevation (750 m to 1400 m) and
high elevation (1400 m to 1 800 m).
The map also names the main
species found in each altitude zone.

Dr. Meher-Homj i said that before
the development of this colour
scheme by a French scientist, Prof.
Gaussen. during the Second World
War period, all the forests were
represented in green and grasslands
in yellow. This made it difficult
for representation of the various
kinds of forests and grasslands.

In each of the altitude zones, the
maps mark out the various
ecosystems; dense evergreen, semi-
evergreen, secondary moist
deciduous, shrub savanna, dense
thicket and low scattered shrubs as
also coffee, tea, cardamom,
cinchona, rubber, teak and forest
plantations.

Another feature of the maps is the
use of circles of different sizes used
for villages and towns within the
NBR. The circle size indicates the
population. According to Dr. B.R.
Ramesh of the Department of
Ecology, these circles show the
scale of human pressure on the
forests and other natural vegetation
in the region.

S. Gopikrishna Warrier.
- Business Line - 23.07.96

A voice to be heard

R.XAVIER sells T-shirts
opposite the Kodaikanal
Boat Club. His "shop" is a
section of a wall and when it rains,
plastic sheets are quickly draped
over the garments. It requires a
certain amount of speed and
initiative.

But this only one part of what
Xavier does. In his village of
Vattakanal, he wears a different
hat. He is an environmental
activist, member of an organisation
which is becoming well known in
this area for its committed work at
the local level: the Vattakanal
Organisation for Youth,
Community and Environment
(VOYCE). The glib expression
"grassroots work" is widely used,
but often applied to esoteric, feel-
good look-good projects. Now
here is something quite different.
Recently, for example, a resident of
Vattakanal refused to sell his land
to a developer because of its key

position in the local watershed.
Given the booming real estate
prices, this is unheard of. The
person is investing in the long
term, high-interest gain of a healthy
and clean environment, rather than
the temporary euphoria of cash-in-
hand.

Since its beginning ten years ago.
VOYCE, along with other
villagers in the locality, has planted
over 17,000 trees on private land in
Vattakanal; most of them shola
species. Sholas are the true forests
of our Kodaikanal hills, the Palnis,
off-shoot of the Western Ghats.
This unique fossil ecosystem grows
in the wet folds of the valleys.
From the broad, dense canopy to
the wide root systems, these trees
are designed sponges, ideal for
absorbing, conserving and
releasing rain water. There is never
a water crisis around an intact
shola. Full streams flow in the
dead of summer. When, however,

sholas are cut down to make room
for "cash" crops like pine and
eucalyptus, it may as well stop
raining because water, untrapped,
simply disappears down the
mountain, causing flood havoc on
the plains below.

The devastating effects of high-
yield commercial forestry are all
too clear in Kodaikanal, as in the
rest of India. There is simply not
enough water for the growing
township and the many satellite
resorts. Speculators make money.
Their hotels and resorts use up
valuable water, and give sewage in
return. The lives of local residents
becomes more bleak with every
passing year, some leave. As the
saying goes, when the big fish
come, the little fish run away: but
many have nowhere to run.
Building a local consciousness
about environmental priorities is
that first step, and this is what
VOYCE is doing. Its work is
beginning to take root; the father of
five young men, started a bakery
some years ago. Even though it
was a lucrative little business his
sons abandoned it because the

64

VuMm m *?m>t£dmf *h&uA % *74*tJl*Hadtt.

firewood needed to work the ovens
lay heavy on their conscience.
They went about looking for other
work. One of them was Xavier, the
T-shirt vendor...

Apart from planting trees. VOYCE
members are guardians of the
Pambar and Vattakanal ....sholas,
which flank the village of

Vattakanal echoing

thumps of the axe are anathema to
them and many a woodcutter has
found himself politely but firmly
asked not to cut in the shola. This,
and Forest Department's work in
fencing parts of the shola, has
shown dramatic shola regeneration.
Visitors returning after some years
are amazed at the shola's revival.
With the cattle population down
and woodcutters out of the way,
young seedlings have a pretty good
chance of making it.

It is all very well to stop cutting
trees... but how are people to cook
their food? The answer was
planted by far-thinking British
foresters in the early 1800s: wattle,
a hardy acacia species which
thrives at this elevation. Wattle has
been the saviour of the Western
Ghats forests. Providing as it does a
cheap fuel source. The hundred
families living in Vatakkanal now
differentiate between shola and
wattle, and are more discerning in
how they collect. In fact many of
them reel off botanical names and
information which would put some
college professors to shame.

VOYCE's solid support base, the
result of years of dedication and
selfless work, invites expansion.
Future plans include the planting of
shola trees in the degraded areas of
Pambar shola. Since shola
protections a concern of the Forest
Department as well, it will
definitely have its blessings.
Members have also collected
donations and acquired a small
piece of land for a Cultural and
Environment Education Centre.
This will house a herbarium
(pressed plant collection), an
important resource for scientists
studying the flora of the Western

Ghats. These sholas are a treasure-
house of rare plant and animal
species, many indigenous to the
Palni Hills. People will gather at
the Centre in the evenings to dance,
sing, discuss, listen: all the things
which keep a small community
whole, things which are being
fractured by television. Perhaps
the Centre will also promote some
income-generating activity which
could support its environmental
work. One such commercial
project, says a member, T. John,
could well be apiculture. The Palni
Hills Conservation Council started
promoting bee-keeping five years
ago. Unfortunately, in the same
year, the dreaded Thai Sac Brood
disease hit Tamil Nadu and wiped
out entire populations. But another
exotic species, the Eupatorium
weed from South America, may yet
pay for its keep. In Assam and
Bangladesh, it is being used to
make hand-made paper. Perhaps
extracts can be produced from
plants indigenous to this area.
Many of these are already under
cultivation in the village, and may
one day be exploited on a
sustainable basis.

All this and much more about
VOYCE's future direction was
discussed at its first workshop in
July. Enthusiasm bubbled over,
blended with a strong pragmatic
flavour. Committees were formed
and responsibilities divided. A
decision was made to send
delegates to the International
Workshop on Benefit Sharing with
Indigenous People in Delhi at the
end of August.

Naturally there are some thorns in
this rosy picture. The sharpest of
these is the chronic lack of funds.
Also, a few rascals let the rest of
the village down by foraging and
poaching wood in the sholas. Tour
groups picnic beside Pambar
stream and leave behind generous
mountains of litter. On weekends,
one sees beer bottles, juice cartons,
plastic bags and other junk strewn
around, much to the joy of crows
and dogs. Crows, by the way, are a
recent arrival in Kodaikanal, an

indication of the unhygienic
garbage situation.

It is easy to plant a tree; dig a hole,
plonk a seedling in, fill in the earth.
But, just as with babies, the hard
part comes later. For trees to
survive, we must build a safe
sociological environment around
them. They need the support of
local people. Otherwise, prospects
are bleak. If the cattle don't get
them, the woodcutter will.
VOYCE members talk about how
trees cannot be planted in isolation,
how young trees must have the
collective backing of the
community. We, its well wishers,
can only hope that it will also have
the support of the authorities. The
common NGO disease is that the
government sees them as a threat,
an obstacle, an enemy. This is far
from the truth, in this case anyway.
Both VOYCE and the Forest
Department have a common goal
and much can be achieved if they
work together.

Armchair conservationists like us
can also lend a hand. Not (let us be
sensible) by getting our hands
dirty. It is messy, muddy work,
and cracked fingernails and
sunstroke are not quite our kind of
thing. But what we can do is write
a small cheque. It will go a long
way. The address: VOYCE, 12/16,
Vattakanal, Kodaikanal-624101, S.
India.

ZAI WHJTAKER

65

5##<f$*#4

Madras HC
clarifies on hotel
demolition order

THE Madras High Court has
clarified that its order for the
demolition of five floors of the
Pleasant Stay Hotel building at
Kodaikanal, did indeed refer to the
five topmost floors.

The order passed on April 10, 1995
by a division bench comprising Mr
Justice M Srinivasan and Mr
Justice S Jagadeesan had been
challenged in the Supreme Court
by the hotel's managing director
Mr Rakesh Mittal.

The apex body, while upholding
the order, however remanded the
matter to the high court to clarify as
to which five of the seven floors
were to be demolished.

The whole matter received wide
publicity in the media, with the
bench passing strictures against the
state chief minister Ms J.
Jayalalitha and the local
administration minister on a writ
petition filed by the Palani Hill
Conservation Council.

The bench, in its orders on
Saturday, pointed out that the
original sanctioned plan was only
for the construction of two floors
above the natural ground level and
not for two floors above road level.
The order for demolition referred to
the five floors above the ground
and first floors, the bench said.

The hotel had contended that the
sanction to the building plan
referred to the two floors above
road level.

- The Economic Times - 30. J 0.96

Norms to the winds

The case of an errant hotel

The Opposition parties in Tamil
Nadu could not have asked for
more. The Madras High Court's
damning indictment on April 10 of
Chief Minister Jayalalitha and
Local Administration Minister T.
M. Selvaganapathy for "not
applying their minds" when they
approved the unauthorised
construction of a seven storeyed
hotel at Kodaikanal has boosted the
Opposition's "campaign on
corruption in high places in the
State Government.

For Pleasant Stay Hotel at
Kodaikanal the Tamil Nadu
Government went to great lengths
to relax building rules, passed two
orders and amended laws - all to
favour a hotelier. The issue was the
unauthorised construction of six
floors (second to seventh floors)
which the Government somehow
wanted to legalise but conserva-
tionists stoutly opposed. The
Government surreptitiously
brought in an order on May 1 3,
1 994, which was not even gazetted.
Such was the clout enjoyed by the
hotel's Managing Director, Rakesh
Mittal, with the State Government
that it even exempted the hotel
from installing fire-fighting
devices!

What appalled the Division Bench
was the ignorance of a Deputy
Secretary to the Government who,
in his additional counter-affidavit,
claimed that the "Government had
passed the Amendment Act",
namely the Tamil Nadu District
Municipalities (Second Amend-
ment and Validation) Act, 1994.
Justice M. Srinivasan and Justice S.
Jagadeesan, who handed down the
final orders, sarcastically observed:
"We have not so far heard of a
Government passing an enactment.
In our opinion, it is only the
legislature which can pass an
enactment. Probably, the Deputy
Secretary has inadvertently blurted

out the truth that it is the
Government which has passed the
Amendment Act and not the
legislature, perhaps in view of the
fact that the ruling party has such
an absolute majority in the
Assembly."

Rakesh Mittal had the temerity to
claim before the court that all he
had done was to build a
"basement" with five floors! The
sixth and seventh floors, he
claimed, constituted the ground and
first floors. Justice J Kanakaraj
contemptuously dismissed his
claim as a "cock and bull story".

In its final order, the Bench angrily
observed that the hotel had
attempted to deceive "the court by
putting forward false pleas. This is
a fit case in which the building
should be demolished in view of
the flagrant violation of the rules."

The judgment was the culmination
of a three-year legal battle waged
by the Palani Hills Conservation
Council (PHCC), represented by its
president, Navroz Mody, and
member, Tara Murali.

One of the aspects which stand out
in this case is the upright conduct of
Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
official P.C. Cyriac. As Secretary,
Municipal Administration and
Water Supply Department, Cyriac
stood his ground that he would not
legalise the unauthorised
construction of the top floors. Retri-
bution was swift. He was trans-
ferred and the Government had its
way with pliant officials in office.

In April 1991, Rakesh Mittal was
granted permission by the Kodai-
kanal Township for construction of
the ground and first floors of the
hotel. However, in January 1992,
he submitted a revised plan to
construct seven floors, which was
rejected as violative of the rules.

66

VoMim m "?omtem: *ltett€& % *7&mil'H&det

Mittal appealed against the
decision but went ahead with the
construction without waiting for an
order. It was when he was
constructing the shell of the fourth
floor that an alert PHCC moved the
High Court and obtained a stay.
When Mittal went ahead with the
construction of the fifth, sixth and
seventh floors, the PHCC charged
him with committing contempt of
court. When the contempt
application came up for hearing, he
told the court that the first five
floors constituted the "basement"
because they were situated below
the road level and the sixth and
seventh Floors constituted the
ground and first floors.

When the court compared the
photographs of the construction
with those taken when the stay was
granted, it found definite proof of
disobedience of its orders. On
march 3 1 , 1994, Justice Kanakaraj
fined Mittal Rs. 2,000 and directed
him not to use any floor other than
the ground and first floors.

Even as Rakesh Mittal appealed
against this order, he applied to the
Government seeking approval of
his revised plan. On May 5, 1 994,
Selvaganapathy noted that
necessary exemption from the rules
might be granted and on the same
day Jayalalitha countersigned it.

The petitioners and their lawyer
were surprised to find that the file
had been countersigned by the
Chief Minister herself. Not
knowing this, they had
concentrated their attack of mala
fide on the Secretary, Municipal
Administration and Water Supply
Department. Had the petitioners
had access to the government files,
as the judges had, they might have
targeted the Local Administration
Minister and the Chief Minister.

Justice Srinivasan and Justice
Jagadeesan pointed out that
Selvaganapathy treated it as an
application for exemption under
Section 2 1 7 Q of the Tami 1 Nadu
District Municipalities Act. "It is
evident from the Minister's order

thathehadneitherapplied his mind
nor taken into consideration the
relevant factors set out in Section
217 Q" which allowed exemption
of public buildings belonging to the
Central or State Governments,
provided they did not mar the
scenic beauty of the hill station.

The judges were unsparing of
Jayalalitha also. "The Chief
Minister has simply signed the file
without entering any minute or
remark. There is nothing to show
that there was application of mind
to the matters on record by the
Chief Minister," they said.

On May 13, 1994, the Jayalalitha
Government surreptitiously
brought in a Government Order,
Ms. No. 126, granting Rakesh
Mittal permission for the
construction of the seven floors.

Tara Murali of the PHCC again
moved the court to quash this G.O.
and sought demolition of the illegal
floors. When Sriram Panchu,
counsel for the PHCC, wrote to the
Government asking for a copy of
the CO., which was not published
in the Gazette, the Government was
cagey. The Madras Metropolitan
Development Authority and the
Town and Country Planning
Authority, which are responsible
for controlling building activities,
were also unaware of the G.O.
Since the copy of the G.O. was not
available, the court declined to
number the writ petition. So Sriram
Panchu filed another writ petition,
asking for a copy of the G.O.
Justice D. Raju had no hesitation in
declaring that the PHCC should be
given a copy of the G.O. The
Government finally relented.

An interesting sidelight was that
during the course of the arguments,
when R. Krishnamurthy, as
Advocate General, defended the
G.O., Sriram Panchu objected to it
because he had been Rakesh
Mittal's advocate. Therefore
Krishnamurthy withdrew from the
case.

Earlier, on December 9, 1 992, the

Tamil Nadu District Municipalities
Act was amended to introduce a
Chapter X-A, with special
provisions for hill stations such as
Kodaikanal and Udhagamandalam,
to prevent the mushroom growth of
buildings and to preserve their
ecology. It provided for the setting
up of an architectural and aesthetics
committee, comprising the Chief
Secretary, the Director of Town
and Country Planning Authority
and non-officials. The committee
for Kodaikanal had unanimously
rejected Rakesh Mittal's proposal
to build seven floors.

Cyriac, Secretary, Municipal
Administration and Water Supply
Department, also declined to issue
orders granting permission to
Rakesh Mittal. Cyriac reportedly
noted in the file that permission
should be denied to Rakesh Mittal
because he had been held guilty of
contempt of court

An informed source said, "If the
Government had listened to this
honest officer, it would not have
got into such a mess". But a
vengeful Government transferred
Cyriac and brought in H.M.
Pandey, who signed the G.O. of
May 13, 1994, legalizing the
unauthorised construction of the
top five floors in excess of the
mandatory limits.

The undue Government favours to
the hotel management continued.
In December 1994, the Assembly
passed the Tamil Nadu District
Municipalities (Second

Amendment and Validation) Act,
1994, amending Section 217 Q.
Under this amended section, the
municipalities acquired the power
to exempt or relax any rule made
under Chapter X of the Act for
even private buildings if they did
not affect the ecology of the hill
station. It was obvious that this
amendment was brought in
specially to help Pleasant Stay
Hotel. It stated that all exemptions
or relaxation under the Act would
be deemed to have been validly
done in accordance with law as if
the amendment had been in force

67

£<unttffoiftd

Pleasant Stay Hotel, Kodaikanal. Four completed floors are visible from outside though the owner claimed five
were built below ground level and only two came above.

already. This amendment was
brought in with retrospective effect
from December 1992 when the first
amendment Act was passed to
introduce Chapter X A.

The Government passed another
CO., Ms. No. 3 17, dated December
6, 1994 exempting the hotel
building from the provisions of the
Development Control Rules,
relating to commercial use zone
side setback and floor space index.
It had retrospective effect from
May 13, 1994, when the earlier
Order was passed on the sly. The
PHCC challenged the second G.O.
as well.

Having completed all the
circumvention, the Government
came before the court, claiming
that it had taken care of all the rules
and regulations and therefore the
PHCC's petition should be
dismissed.

The Division Bench quashed the
G.O. of May 13, 1 994 and ordered
that the building be demolished to
the extent to which it was contrary
to the plan sanctioned by the
Kodaikanal Township on
November 1 , 1 99 1 . It also threw
out the G.O. of December 6, 1994,

saying, "The impugned G.O.
throwing overboard all relevant
matters and rules is without doubt
illegal and invalid... The G. O. is
vitiated by legal mala fides
inasmuch as it is a result of total
failure to consider relevant matters
and considerations of irrelevant
matter... It is crystal clear that the
G.O. has been passed only to get
over an inconvenient situation
faced by the Government in the
course of hearing of these writ
petitions."

The Bench pointed a notification
issued by the Union Ministry of
Environment and Forests on
January 27, 1994 that all tourist
projects, located 1,000 metres
above mean sea level and involving
an investment of more than Rs. 5
crore, should obtain clearance from
the Centre. But Pleasant Stay Hotel
received no such clearance.

The judges had no hesitation in
declaring that the Government had
acted against the public interest and
in total disregard to the main
objective of the Tamil Nadu
District Municipalities Act, which
was to preserve the pristine purity
of hill nations and conserve their
ecological balance.

Why did the Jayalalitha
Government and the Chief Minister
personally show such an unusual
interest in legalizing what was
illegal and indefensible? What is
the nexus between Mittal's actions
and the Chief Minister's conduct?
No immediate answers are
available to these salient questions.

The Division Bench warned the
State Government of the disastrous
consequences of neglect of
administration. It said, "The
Government has exempted the law-
breaker from the operation of the
law, which would amount to cutting
a man to the size of the cot. Of the
disastrous consequences, we need
not say." They quoted aTirukkural
(ancient Tamil work) couplet
meaning: "Behold the king who
doth not oversee his administration
everyday and remove the ir-
regularities therein; his sovereignty
will wear away day by day."

The last word on the protracted
legal battle has not been said yet.
Selvaganapathy has said that the
Government will appeal in the
Supreme Court against the
judgement.

T.S. Subramanian
- Frontline - 05.05.95

68

Vtetin m lomUm: tuue* % lam<l%Uu

, a mpai

In the name of Zoological Park -
Tourism Land Grab and Atrocities

On June 5, 1994 a protest rally
against the Coimbatore Zoological
Park (CZP) was held adjacent to
the Kodungaraipallam (river) that
divides the homeland of Irula - the
second major Adivasis community
in South India, between
Coimbatore and Palakkad districts,
of Tamilnadu and Kerala states
respectively. Under the overcast
sky and in the desolate valley of
the Anaikatti Hills when the
informed minority celebrated the
World Environment Day, these
Adivasis demanded action against
the CZP and others for alleged
crimes against Adivasis in the
name of environment and wild life.

The assault of 8 year old Adivasi
girl 'Pappa' for pulling out the
marker flag planted by the Survey
department, the illegal demolition
and destruction of the houses of
Vettai and Maruthan in 1991 when
they refused to give up their lands
to CZP, the assault of Panikkan,
detention and threat meted out to
Boddan, Ramaswamy,

Rangaswamy and Muthuswamy -
the list continues. They were
demanding the return of their lands
which they say were taken away
from them fraudulently. They
condemned the Government for
coming down to the wishes of
CZP.

Coimbatore Zoological Park
established in 1986 as a non-
government organization by
industrialists, financiers and
hoteliers intends to establish the
first ever private Zoological Park in
Thuvaipathy village, 3 kms from
Anaikatti in Coimbatore. Falling
within the 5600 Square kilometer
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR),
the Zoological park is projected to
be an interpretation Centre for
NBR in about 250 acres of the

most modern kind where primarily
the flora and fauna of the NBR
would be recovered and
introduced. Situated 25 kms away
from Coimbatore city, this park is
to be built up as a tourist Centre
with tours conducted to the wild
life sanctuaries and National Parks
which cover a substantial variety of
ecosystems in the peninsula.

With an outlay of Rs.l crores of
which T>%. 3 crores have already
been raised from industrial and
business houses, CZP has applied
for a "planning grant" of US $
30,000 from the Biodiversity
programme of the World Wide
Fund for Nature and have
registered a proposal of US $
3,59,150 with the world
Community Services of the Rotary
International to purchase
equipments and other goods.

Headed by G. Rangaswamy, the
secretary of CZP (also the
Managing Director of Pioneer
Mills), this project has another
NGO - Zoo Outreach Organisation
(Z.O.O.) as its associate with its
secretary Ms Sally Walker as the
Project Coordinator. Interestingly
G. Rangaswamy of CZP is also the
Preside of Z.O.O. and one finds a
large number of the executive
members of CZP also in the
Managing Committee of Z.O.O.
except that Z.O.O. has a number of
environmentalists, veterinarians,
foresters etc. actively involved. In
effect it seems clear that CZP and
Z.O.O. are controlled by the same
set of people with CZP being more
closely held.

Z.O.O has managed to establish
itself giving itself a cover as a
committed NGO for the welfare of
wildlife especially in Zoos. Z.O.O
is one of the 12 organisations

through which the British Airways'
Assisting Nature Conservation
Programme operates with its
primary concern being captive
breeding and tourism. Z.O.O also
convened the first regional branch
of the Captive Breeding Specialist
Group (CBSG) of the International
Union for the Conservation of
Nature. CBSG-India operating
through Z.O.O have been holding a
large number of International
Workshops in different parts of the
country. The media earlier this year
(India Express, January3,1994
titled "Gene Pool in Peril" by Usha
Rai) had exposed that these
workshops have been used as a
cover where foreign scientists are
"believed to have been flown out
with blood and semen samples of
lions, clouded leopards and lion
tailed Macaques in test tubes,
submerged in "Nitrogen
containers". Incidentally Ms Sally
Walker had applied for permission
to take out the blood and semen
samples of these very species
which was rejected by the Ministry
of Environment and Forests.

Z.O.O has managed to become a
member of the Animal Welfare
Board of India with Ms Sally
Walker becoming also a member of
the Central Zoo Authority of the
Ministry of Environment and
Forests, created under the Wild
Life Protection Act 1972 to oversee
the functioning of zoos in the
country which attracts sizable
number of tourists. With such an
elaborate cloak they have been able
to demonstrate their clout with the
politico-administrative machinery
and so far has managed to avoid
any action against them for the
allegations made by the people,
specially the Adivasis.

Wildlife from the tropical region

69

£&tm&o#4

seldom service in the zoos in the
west for long because of changed
environment and weather
conditions. These zoos are in
constant demand of replacements.
Global trade in wild life is
moreover banned. Clandestine
operations to smuggle wild life
illegally however continues. Quite
often the laws are by passed
because of loopholes in the laws.
The equation of wild life by a
foreigner is prohibited in India but
is permissible to a resident. Quite
often the resident gets the wildlife
and lends it to foreign zoos. The
profit margin is enormous. For
example, an elephant calf costing
Rs. 50,000/- earns about Rs.17
lakhs in the West. Another problem
with the wildlife of tropical region
in the zoos of the West is that the
chances of their reproduction is
very slender. Consequently, semen
and blood samples to test for
diseases fetches a huge price.
Environmentists and

conservationists fear that with
ecotourism and wild life tourism
becoming a rage with tourists the
genetic stock of third world is
subject to ruthless plunder. The
setting up of the zoological park by
CZP has raised the specter of threat
to wild life on the one hand to
sustain wild life tourism through
zoos in the West as well as the
rapid spread of wild life tourism in
India with its disastrous fall outs
here.

Already over 6,00,000 people of
which 5,00,000 Adivasis
(indigenous People) are displaced
by 421 sanctuaries and 75 national
parks from among the 135 lakh
adivasis who are affected in the
name of conservation and protected
areas. Tourism projects in and
around these areas are further

displacing or alienating these
people.

The CZP has already "Purchased"
55 acres of land mostly from the
Adivasis where the Adivasis allege
the use of coercion and fraudulent
means. The Peoples Union for
Civil Liberties, Tamilnadu carried
out a fact finding mission in early
August 1994. and confirmed the
allegations(their report is yet to be
released). In addition, CZP has
requested the transfer of
government lands, mostly enjoyed
by Adivasis for decades measuring
around 160 acres. In addition to
this the Collector of Coimbatore
announced in 1 993 that 400 acres
of land of which 100 acres belong
legally to the adivasis and rest held
by the' government would be
acquired by the government and
handed over to the CZP. All these
add up to over 600 acres. Once
established and with the
development of organised tourism
(with the Zoological park as the
operational centre), the spin-off
effect that it will cause by bringing
in peripheral interests to the area
would be that, more lands of the
marginalised will be lost along
with the destruction of the local
economy.

The project is shrouded in mystery
as attempts by public interest
groups to get the details of the
project have failed under the plea
that the details are yet to be worked
out. The manner in which CZP has
been^rp'jbing land and the use of
money arid muscle power further
confirms the suspicion that the
intentions of CZP are evil. There
have been attempts lo co-opt or
suppress opposition to their project.
It is feared that very soon the 500
odd Adivasis of Thuvaipathy

^tapai

would be eased out of the place.
The attempts of CZP to couch their
project with environment,
biodiversity conservation, tribal
development etc., in the face of
stiff opposition by the people does
not dazzle at least those who have
faced the wrath of CZP. In a
desperate attempt to stifle the local
opposition, CZP has been literally
doling out money to all and sundry
in the village in tens of thousands
hoping that such huge amounts
would shut the mouths of the
victims to suppress the truth from
coming out.

FIAN, an international Human
Rights organisation has initiated an
international campaign against the
CZP for its human rights violations
in August 1994. A number of
organisations in the West
connected mostly with Zoos and
others like the prestigious JUCN
are being mobilized by Sally
Walker for CZP to counter
allegations against CZP.

The author is involved in the
Human Rights issues linked to that
of the Adivasis in South India.
Historical details of this issue is
available in Tourism Alternatives
Exchange Issue 3, March 1993, ask
EQUATIONS.

CR BUOY EQUATIONS
AN Letter Vol. 3 Issue 2 1995 Jan.

70

Vernier <ue lowiAm; %4ae4 % 1<xmd%xdu

PUCL DEMANDS PROBE INTO LAND
ACQUISITION FOR PARK

COIMBATORE - The People's
Union for Civil Liberties has
demanded a thorough inquiry into
the acquisition of Adivasis land in
Anaikatti area for the setting up of
a zoological park.

A group of wildlife lovers of
Coimbatore have proposed to start
a zoological park in Anaikatti area
on the Coimbatore-Kerala border
over an area of 260 acres.

A PUCL fact-finding team which
visited Thoovaipathy village
recently noted that the proposed
park would displace about 90 tribal
families.

Thirty five of them have patta lands
and it is alleged that they were
pressurized to give away their
lands for setting up the park.

The remaining families, who have
been cultivating Government

poromboke land under B. Memo
(encroachments) for several
decades, were being forcibly
evicted from their lands, without
any alternative scheme of
employment, the team noted.

The five member team, led by Mr.
A. A Jawad advocate Madras as
convenor included Ms. R. Aruna,
research scholar, Mr. M Abu
Backer, advocate, Coimbatore; Mr.
Selvaraj, social worker of the
Nilgiris and Mr. S. Kannayyan, a
social worker of Erode.

The team which inquired into the
transaction came to the conclusion
that although prima facie, tie land
transaction appears to be legal, in
the light of findings arrived at by
the team, various questionable
methods have been adopted for
land acquisition, which calls for a
judicial inquiry.

The team demanded that suitable
compensation be given to the
dispossessed tribals, preferably by
allotting ultimate lands.

The PUCL also demanded that B.
memo holders of Government po-
romboke lands be gives regular
pattas.

The team maintained that no
further land should be leased for
the proposed private park, until a
licence is obtained from the central
zoo authority.

It suggested that all decisions taken
by the Government, in respect of
the proposed zoological park be
made public, inviting public debate
on the issues involved.

-The Indian Express -27.11.94

71

&4iti&Ct&H&

Tourism: The Route To Socio-Cultural Chaos

Tourism is closely linked to the emerging cultural industry. Cultural symbols and artefacts
are the major raw materials of this industry. Tourism brochures are spread with cultural
symbols and festivals to attract people from abroad. Decontexualised propagation create
the image of the 'exotic' to tourists for whom it becomes merely something to be looked
upon.

Rituals and expressions originated with specific purposes and the performance itself is
sacred. The hour chosen, duration, purpose and preparations of performance is strictly
community and ritual specific. But when is comes to tourism, stage managed 'traditional
expressions' in hotel rooms and resorts are provided to the convenience of tourists.

Tourism industry eliminates the organic relationship between people, their cultural
expressions and reduces them to commodities. Tourism industry is banking on 'fruits of
development' which had attenuated common people to a state of despair. This
despondency is exploited and people are being taught that their tears also could be sold for
their subsistence,

Heritage sites for sale

Tamil language and culture is known to be the oldest. It has taken centuries of human-
nature interaction to evolve into one of the most aesthetic and complex form of expression.
Tamil culture is rooted in its language. Even today these cultural forms abound with
ritualistic values and communitarian ethos, knit people their everyday life and environment
in a unique web of relations to facilitate a better humanisation. They are intertwined with
the very identity of people and represent a total expression of their life.

Heritage tourism no'w proposed in Tamil Nadu is a clear case in point. Almost all the
cultural symbols preserved by the Tamil people during the last so may centuries are now
becoming mere things to be 'looked at' by tourists. The 10th century AD Brahadeeswarar
temple of Raja Raja Chola I is declared as World Heritage Monument by UNESCO. Tamil
Nadu tourism authorities had decided to have 'Sound and light show' here. 1 What would
be the effect of this on a 10 century old structure and delicate work of art is anybody's
guess.* The intrinsic value of cultural symbols for the community is overlooked and they
are denigrated to the level of showpieces. "Tourism facilitates understanding between
cultures" is a myth created to legitimise consumption of cultural symbols by tourists.

♦Even use of photo camera flash is prohibited in Ajantha, EUora caves for fear of damaging the paintings,

72

Voteiei m 7omd4m.> ^muu % 7a#td } %tdu

Commodifying nature-human relationship

Harvesting time have been occasions when people celebrated the kindness and gift, nature
rewarded for their labour. This also have been the time for their self expression and revolt
against the tyrant feudal system. And thus the evolution of harvest festivals. Now Tamil
Nadu government has appropriated this too in the name of tourism. People's festivals like
Pongal is stage managed and packaged for foreign tourists.

There are more than 14 such festivals offered for sale to tourists by Tamil Nadu
government and tourism industry: 2

This kind of packaging surely violates the basic cultural rights of Tamil people guaranteed
by the Constitution of India and International conventions on cultural rights.

Apathy towards own people

Tourists locations are highly prone to various types of social tensions and may lead to
constant chaos. The demand for space and resources are very high in tourist destinations,
especially during peak seasons. Udhagamandalam is a classic example. The ratio between
tourist and local population during peak seasons, on an average is 4:1 i.e. for every one
person there will be four tourists!

73

S<&(&tiQtt6

Udhagamandalam: Some Basic Statistics

Tourism authorities have no concern whatsoever towards people. Even when tourists
outnumber the local population the slogan is to attract more and more tourists. Social
impact of this disproportion does not stop with mere numbers. The impact of people of
alien cultures swarming around every nook and corner throughout the year would
definitely give birth to a deculturised generation.

Udhagamandalam authorities are unaware of planning with futuristic sight. The planning
for basic amenities like water supply and sewerage is shocking.

Improvement schemes; Plan for water supply*

Number

Year

Tourist population in the
month of May alone

4,49,000

1994 AD

To supply for a
Projected population

1,15,000

2011 AD

Sewerage System

Originally designed to serve a population of 10,000.

Number

Year

Total tourist population

15,88,000

1994 AD

HADP assisted project to
serve a Projected population

1,15,000

201 1 AD

Nilgiris region is generally short of drinking water during summer months. What will be
peoples' share in these kind of 'futuristic planning' is worth guessing. Instead, there are
plans for improving infrastructure facilities for tourists in Kodaikkanal for 1 5 crore rupees.

♦Both these statistics are from a survey done by Ms.Miriam Paul, Lecturer at Avinasilingom College for Women,
Coimbatore.

74 ~~

Votewi oh lomUm; tutm % *?4m& %idu

There is a proposal seeking special permission to form Kodaikkanal Development
Authority. 3

Tourists as Culture - Vultures

The recent attempts to locate tourism into forests in the name of eco-tourism is highly
inadvisable from the point of view of communities who live there. Communities who live
in forests are a unique cultural entity. Their relationship with forest and forest related
economy determines their existence,

Eco-tourism plans to bank on rituals and festivals of these communities. Their very act of
living and every object of their life becomes 'things to be gazed at' through camera eye.
Trespass into each others beliefs, morals and ethics and live world are considered to be
grievous offences in a civilised society. But when these same 'civilised' intrude into the
life styles and privacy of people in tourist centres it becomes merely an act of business and
part of the new economic ethics and is legitimised.

Denigrating the live world of communities to the level of commodities for the sightseers is
a worst form of human rights violation. Tourists become 'culture-vultures/ always
frantically searching for exotic scenes which in reality are part and parcel of the live world
of local communities.

End Note

1 Tourism Demand No.50. 1994-95 p. 8

2 Tourism Demand Nc.50. 1 994-95 p.6 and The Hindu

3 Indian Express dt. 18.6. 1996.

75

g^ fcfrfifr W tf

Festival of South India Planned in
London During 1996

British charity organisation to be main sponsor, TN plans
to boost roots, golf tourism

In their first ever venture to jointly
promote the region abroad, the four
southern states and the union
Territory of Pondicherry have
come together to promote a
Festival of South India in London
during May- June 1996.

The main sponsor of the event will
be a private British charity. The six
week-long festival is expected to
cost the sponsor anything between
450,000 and a million pounds.

The state governments have
decided to chip in by sponsoring
specific events. Private sponsorship
of various programmes is also
being encouraged.

To follow the pattern of the
Festival of India held earlier, the
south India festival will focus on
the region. A separate handlooms
and handicraft exhibition and a
retrospective on south Indian
cinema are also being planned.

By holding the Festival during
May - June, the organisers are
planning to sell the region to
tourists visiting London, besides
the local population.

These two months is said to con-
stitute the peak tourist season in
London.

Other specific tourism growth
programmes that Tamil Nadu is
looking to promote include busi-
ness convention "roots" golf
tourism.

To include in the Business visits of
corporates a little of tourism the
state governments is trying to
persuade company officials to
include a couple of weekends to
their official five-day visit. The
preceding and following weekends
could then be packaged to include
beach resorts, a tour of the ancient
temple's, golf or wild life

76

sanctuaries to suit individual
preference.

Companies are being told that their
officials will find it easier to accept
an India assignment if they get to
see a little more of the country
other than company board rooms
and hotels.

Golf tourism is being mainly
targeted at the Japanese tourism for
whom India is ideally located. "It is
perceived to be neither too far nor
too close to home" says a top
tourism official. And given the
craze for golf and the relatively
inexpensive green fees charged
here the concept of a holiday with
golf as the centre-piece can be very
attractive to the Japanese, it is said.

This concept will also be extended
to the emerging south east Asian
countries.

The region is perceived to be a
market with vast potential because
of the growing income of its
nationals. Not only are they cash
rich they generally tend to follow
the trend set by the Japanese.
Countries identified for the purpose
include South Africa the Carribean
islands, UK and USA.

Already, Tamil Nadu is witnessing
a heavy influx every month of
Tamil migrants in South Africa.
Such visits are primarily aimed at
rediscovering one's "roots" and
hence the concept of roots tourism.

Efforts are also on to promote the
state as an alternate convention
centre which offers exciting leisure
opportunities.

The next couple of years is
considered an opportune time to
hardsell the idea because of the
international perception that regular
convention centres of Europe and
the US have become "stale".

On the Drugs
Route

The coastline becomes a
transit point for narcotics

Time was when the Tamil
Nadu coast was famed for
its pearl divers and the
Chinese silk that smugglers would
bring in from the East. These days,
smugglers are once again finding it
profitable to work the old routes,
but this time to bring in lethal and
sinister contraband narcotics.

Some 1 10 kg of heroin, much of it
bound for the coast, was seized in
Tamil Nadu last year alone. The
largest haul of 66.1 kg came in
May last year, the biggest ever
seizure in India. The Directorate of
Revenue Intelligence intercepted
the drug near Salem. Along with
361 kg of opium found hidden in a
village in South Puddukottai near
Dindigul, the heroin was meant for
a coastal village in Tuticorin, from
where it was to be taken to Sri
Lanka.

Incidentally, a majority of those
arrested in drug-related cases are
Sri Lankan Tamils. 'The turmoil in
Sri Lanka has brought a large
number of Tamil refugees who
have contacts in their country, to
Tamil Nadu," says Joginder Singh,
director general of the Narcotics
Control Bureau (NCB). "This, as
well as the extensive network of
smugglers that was already in
operation on the coast, has proved
handy for the traffickers."

With hundreds of fishing villages
and sheltered coves, the Tamil
Nadu coast offers the smuggler a
choice of landing spots, from
Thanjavur to beyond Tuticorin.
From here, according to officials in
the Customs and the NCB, it is
"simple" for a fisherman to take
anything up to 25 kg of contraband
in a catamaran to Sri Lanka.

It is not just the kilometres of
"porous" coastline with its
confusing network of villages and
backwaters that makes Tamil Nadu

VoMiei m *?6mi4m: *h$m& % 7amil%xdu

vulnerable to drug trafficking. Over
the past four years, the state, with
its two international airports at
Madras and Tiruchirapalli, and two
major seaports at Madras and
Tuticorin, has become a transit
point for drug traffickers between
the northern part of the Indian
subcontinent and Sri Lanka.

Though the increase in the price of
heroin from Rs. 10 kg per kg to Rs.
15 lakh in Sri Lanka in August
could be an indication that the
supply from Tamil Nadu may have
reduced, the smugglers, according
to NCB officials, are finding other
ways. "The natural endowments of
a coastal terrain have made it very
difficult to police the area
effectively," say NCB's Singh. "If
the amount of heroin seized in
Tamil Nadu in 1993 is any
indication, this area has emerged as
an important trafficking centre."

And policing the area isn't exactly
a cakewalk. Although intelligence
exists on drug trafficking from the

Tamil Nadu coast, there have been
no instances of anyone being
caught red-handed on the seas.

In June this year, the NCB in
Madras arrested Arif Patel, a UK-
based NRI, Y.V. Nagaraj, a city
industrialist, and five others. This
syndicate had used Madras port
since early 1992 to ship out 1 ,250
tonnes of hashish and 4,000 kg of
mandrax. Their last consignment -
three tonnes of hashish - priced at
Rs. 50 crore in the international
market, was intercepted at Ashded
port in Israel, leading to their arrest
here in India.

Anti-narcotics agencies, going by
these and other heroin seizures, are
working on the theory that since
the bomb blasts in Bombay in
March last year, the tightened
security measures on the west coast
have led drug traf fcters to the east,
especially to Tamil Nadu. Early
last year, heroin that was priced at
Rs. 50,000 a kg in Pakistan was
valued in Colombo at Rs 7- 10 lakh

a kg. "We are worried Tamil Nadu
is being increasingly used as a base
to smuggle narcotics to Sri Lanka
from where it finds its way to other
countries," says Letika Saran,
DIG(CB), Tamil Nadu Police.

Significantly, the NCB and other
enforcement agencies say there is
no evidence to link the trafficking
with Tamil militants in Sri Lanka.
Though a few Sri Lankans arrested
in Europe with heroin and hashish
have been found to have links with
the LTTE, "none of those arrested
here has any contacts with
militants", according to P.V.K,
Reddy, director of the NCB unit in
Madras. That doesn't, however,
make the security agencies' work
easier: it is physically impossible to
keep a check on the thousands of
catamarans and country boats that
operate from this part of the coast.
Or for that matter, to check every
freight package loaded into the
containers that leave Tamil Nadu's
two ports every day.

- India Today - 30.09.96

Inventory of heritage sites
on the cards

The Union Ministry of Environ-
ment and Forests may initiate a
country wide exercise to make an
inventory of natural heritage sites
which merit a palace on the World
Natural Heritage List, subject to the
approval of the International Union
for Conservation of Nature.

The need for such a drill is felt by
the Ministry officials for several
reasons. Inclusion of an Indian site
in the world list was last done in
1988. Since then two of India's
proposals have been rejected and
one deferred by the IUCN an
international non-governmental
organisation which advises the
World Heritage Committee on
selecting natural heritage sites and
also reports back on the state of
conservation of the listed sites.

Though India is one of the 147
signatories to the Convention
concerning the Protection of the
World Cultural and Natural
Heritage adopted by the UNESCO,
not much activity was undertaken
during the past decade. While the
IUCN's listing is done on the basis
of nominations made by State
parties, not only did the Indian
Government fail to put forth any
fresh proposal, but its officials
"suffered from a lack of clarity and
understanding of the implications
of listing."

Sources in the Ministry told The
Hindu that the field level managers
of listed sites are unaware of their
responsibilities and of the
opportunities offered by the
Convention. Unless they move a

proposal citing reasons for
inclusion in the world list and
explaining how they matched the
eligibility criterion, the Union
Ministry too would not be in a
position to recommend.

Rann of Kutch and the Gir Wildlife
Sanctuary in Gujarat had been
rejected by the IUCN as they
"failed to meet the prescribed
requirements" and a decision was
deferred on Silent Valley in Kerala
in the early 90s.

However, as far as listing of the
Silent Valley is concerned, it is
leamt that the IUCN has intimated
the World Heritage Committee that
India should send fresh
nominations expanding the area of
the proposed site by including the
Nilgiris range of biosphere reserve
along the Western Ghats. Revision
and updating of the old proposal
has not yet taken off, sources said.

77

£mm&**4

The network of protected areas in
the country at present is known to
comprise 80 National Parks and
441 Wildlife Sanctuaries. Of these
five National parks - at Manas and
Kaziranga (Assam), Nandadevi
(Uttar Pradesh), Keoladeo
(Rajasthan) and Sunderbans (West
Bengal) - have been on the World
Natural heritage List since the mid
80s. Listing on the world list
broadly implies international
prestige and the responsibility of
the State in looking after it,
therefore, increase.

Also, if the State puts up a proposal
for financial or any other technical
assistance, the World Heritage
Committee is obliged to consider it
seriously because the listed
property is now of "universal
value".

But what came out sharply at the
conclusion of a meeting of
managers of South Asia's natural
heritage sites here over the
weekend was the "total lack of
understanding of the operational
guidelines of the Convention".

The key players of the World
Heritage Centre of UNESCO who
were in town for the meeting Mr.
Robert Milne and Mr. N. Ishwaran
are, however, keen on India taking
the lead in using the heritage sites
to generate more information and
training capsules for the staff. The
Wildlife Institute at Dehradun has
been particularly requested to
create a network of working groups
and introduce training programmes
for field officers and site managers.

While the World Heritage
Committee is willing to provide all
fund and support to the Institute for
starting training courses for the
entire South Asian region to make
the staff aware of their
responsibilities after a site is
notified as a world heritage site, the
Union Ministry of Environment
wants to use the services of the
Institute to evaluate the protected
areas across the country for making
a national inventory. Information
will also be sought from
Worldwide Fund for Nature in
India, which has done a
biodiversity conservation

assessment for the country.

Though all the proposals emerged
at the two day deliberations and are
still being discussed, both the
World Heritage Committee
representatives and the Indian
Government officials are optimistic
about getting the projects going.

Ministry officials, however,
categorically point out that funding
"has never been or is a problem" for
the world status accorded National
Parks. Depending on the size and
needs, the Ministry releases Rs. 50
lakhs or more for maintenance,
irrespective of whether it is still a
national or internationally
acknowledged natural heritage site.
International assistance, on the other
hand, serves as an "incremental
funding", sources said.

Though admitting that admini-
strative channels slow down the
release of payments occasionally,
the sources said "the immediate
requirement is for a trained and
alert staff and its response to the
existing situation."

The Growing Drug Menace

Drug addiction is spreading in all
urban centres of the State and the
victims are college students and
also those who hail from the lower
income groups.

Brown sugar, or what is called
"smack", a highly adulterated stuff,
is the most widely used drug in
view of its easy availability and
relative cheapness.

Most of the brown sugar supply
reaciiir.'g dirTf rent destinations in
the state is fount/ f o be smuggled
out from Sri Lanka £ v powerful
drug syndicates through ^
fishermen o n both sides o f tu e - ?*&
Straits.

This is the finding of a survey
conducted by a group of social

— ■ ^

workers who fear that drug
trafficking has begun taking deep
roots in Chcfinai and other major
cities such as Coimbatore, Tiruchi
and Madurai, what with a vast
underground network of
procurement and marketing of the
contraband.

The general perception that drug
addiction is confined to the affluent
youth is no longer valid
considering the vicious grip that
the evil has over vulnerable
sections such as fishermen and
casual workers.

It is found that the youth across all
economic barriers have developed
an addicuC 1 C r aze for the drugs
owing to psychoiogiu^ emotional
and inquisitive factors apart nC^ a

mix of curiosity, personal and
family problems.

A significant aspect is ih2! the
number of those hooked on to drug
is on the increase, particularly in
the congested slums dotting along
Poyapuram and Kasimedu areas in
North Chennai, abutting the sea
shore. A sizable quantity of the
contraband that lands in Kasimedu
is divided among a large number
of local dealers who in turn ensure
the delivery at the usual points
through a network or peddlers.

Slum women are also found to be
engaged in drug pushing. Many
among them undertake the task of
processing and packaging the
brown sugar that reaches them
through local uculffs and sell it to
their regular clientele who frequent
their huts.

Through inquiries the social
workers found that some women

T>o44ic* oh lotedm.- ^Muei % lamU 'Had*

students also have fallen a prey to
addiction and the pushers were
seen selling "smack" in front of a
women's college. A significant
locale is the joint right in the heart
of the city- Marina - where the
addicts position themselves at a
particular point to be identified by
the sellers.

The transaction is on a high scale
particularly on Sundays. It is such
a foolproof arrangement by which
the seller and the seeker alone
could identify each other without
arousing any suspicion from other
beach travelers crowding the
promenade andtheseafront.

The survey has found the
prevalence of "ganja" smoking in
the rural areas, particularly those
abutting the coastal belt, among
the middle and lower middle
classes. The coastal districts of the
State are used as hinterland by the
drug traffickers for the transport of
the smuggled contraband. Since
the 1000 km long coast is dotted

with fishing villages, it is difficult
to keep a close watch on the
smuggling activities of fishermen
once they reach out to the open sea.

What is forgotten is that behind the
periodic seizures of drugs by the
Narcotics Control Bureau lies the
stark fact that for every Kilogram
of narcotics seized, many times that
quantity goes undetected, thanks
to the "political clout" the powerful
drug syndicates have with the law
enforcers.

The origin of brown sugar and
other derivatives in the State is
painfully traced to the early 1980s
when ethnic clashes broke out in
Sri Lanka, triggering large-scale
influx of refugees into Tamil
Nadu. Some of them found the
trading in drugs a highly
profitable venture.

Tamil Nadu too has the distinction
of being the only State where drug
traffickers, mostly Sri Lankan
Tamils, arrested under the NDPS

Act, were let off on bail. Of the 88
arrested in the last ten years, 53
were granted bail, six convicted
and seven acquitted.

It is acknowledged that coming to
firm grips with the twin problems
of trafficking and drug abuse is not
going to be easy and hence there
should be a right mix of punitive
and rehabilitative measures to wean
away the victims. There is also a
perception that cutting off the
supply lines could also force an
addict to go after harmful
alternatives.

The effort must be not only to
wean away those hooked to the
habit but also prevent others from
falling a prey to the evil. In this
educative- rehabilitative arena, the
survey has suggested, the drug
enforcement agencies of the Centre
and the State could enlist the help
of NGOs and social welfare
organisations willing to accept the
gauntlet.

The Hindu,3/3/97

79

6
Economics Of Tourism: Truths And Myths

Tourism is projected by Government of Tamil Nadu as an ultimate solution to
underdevelopment in the state. The same rhetoric is widely in circulation in the
neighbouring states too.

"The turnover for the year 1993-94 is estimated at Rs. 1500 lakhs representing a growth of
1 3% over the turnover of Rs. 1 328.44 lakhs recorded during 1992-93. The gross profit for
year 1993-94 was anticipated at Rs. 138.18 lakhs." 1

The myths of huge ploughback of tourism earnings shatters like a card castle when we look
at the above figures more closely. The ratio of earnings per tourist is less than Rs. 1 .00 in
1993-94. Tourists Arrivals- Domestic: 1 38+ Foreign:4.41 =142.41 lakhs; Anticipated Gross
Profit Rs . 1 38 . 1 8 Lakhs ; Ratio of earnings: 1 42.4 1 : 1 38 . 1 8 ; Earnings per tourist: 97 paise !
The above figures reveals the 'profit game' inherent in tourism development in Tamil
Nadu. A large chunk of the 'benefits' of tourism flows into the pockets of a few private
enterprises and the State exchequer gets only a pittance. (The hotel and transport business
in tourism destinations is a highly concentrated activity with 20-50 business enterprises
spread all over India accounts for more than 80% of total income derived from such
activities) The issue becomes more anti-people when we consider the subsidies and
infrastructure investments made out of public money. In fact, tourism in Tamil Nadu has
become an activity for making huge profits by a few private profit sharks at the expense of
tax contributions of the people.

If we add on the socio-cultural costs due to displacement of people from tourist localities,
problems of access to resources by local people, various ecological costs and inflationary
pressures, the net result will be net loss to the exchequer! We should remember that such
a loss is caused to provide facilities to a class of people who are rich enough to go to places
and is suffered by the huge mass of people who are deprived of basic survival in the name
of development and macroeconomic progress.

Statistical Gimmicks

"Tourism, a fast growing industry (sic) plays a vital role in the country's economy. Tamil
Nadu state is a major tourist destination and accounts for an average of 30% of the foreign
tourists visiting India.... While thenar 1991 registered the arrival of 3.30 lakhs foreign
tourists, 1992 showed a phenomenal growth of 25.3% over the previous year is (sic) 4.03
lakhs. The year 1993 has «;gistered an arrival of 4.41 lakhs foreign tourists thus registering
an increase of 9.3% over last year. 1 38 lakhs domestic tourists visited Tamil Nadu during
1993 as against 131 lakhs during 1992 thus registering an increase of 5.9%."2
80

T>$44im m *?omtdm: &ggg* % 7&m& ftadv

Since there is no authentic records or convincing parameters to scrutinise, this statistical
gimmick could be extended to any level. The Government depends mainly on Travel
agency sources, hotel registers and tourist office as source of these figures. Knowing the
way our system functions one could imagine how authentic these figures could be.

It is depending on these figures the Central and State Governments plans for infrastructure
investments. The justification for every economic development is that it should raise the
standard of living of the people, and the fruits of development should reach the entire
people. But the profit figures of tourism industry conceal the truth of who is benefited the
most and who is the loser. The national, multi-national and corporate sector dominate
almost the entire of tourism infrastructure requirements.

Even the local bodies do not get the benefit of a simple economic activity like toll
collection. A specific case in point is the vehicular toll collection in Kodaikanal. The toll
is auctioned by the local authority to a private party for Rs.53 lakh for one year (1994-95).
No one knows the actual amount collected by the private operator. A reasonable estimate
puts the figure at double the auction amount. The local authority claims that the amount
collected by auction is used for roads. One wonders what will be the trickling down of this
spending because roads are least productive in relation to income and employment
generation of the local people.

While talking about profits, the authorities also conceal the multiplier effects like
rehabilitation of the people affected by tourism development, the loss and shift of
economic activity, pollution of natural resources like sea and other water bodies, and cost
involved in making it reusable, destruction of forests and afforestation costs involved etc..
Only by adding these costs to the much propagated 'tourism profits' would we realise the
gravity of the loss and loot on our lives and economy.

Pulicat lake is earmarked for watersport according to the Tamil Nadu Tourism Minister.
But this lake is the source of livelihood to 40,000 fisher and peasant community. The
traditional resource management system known as the Tadu' in which the nine villages
have the right to fish in a particular area, has led lo the conservation of resources in the
lake. But unmindful developmental activities like construction of road, aquaculture,
trawling in the close coast line and deforestation has already had its negative impact on the
lake and the fish population. Already 1 1 species of fish have disappeared and another 9 are
fast vanishing.* While absolutely no effort is taken to restore the lake to its previous
capacity, tourism minister now allots funds for the purchase of boats for water tourism
into this lake! The responsibility and commitment of the elected representatives towards
people !

*The source of this data is from the case study: Environment, vanishing and disappeared species of Pulicat Lake, by
Kevin, Arivashagan and San jay.

87

SfWfift^ftd

The New Economic Order

The naked destructive colonial plunder has given way to more subtler and systematic
plunder. The colonial period protected the feudal forces and obstructed industrial growth
in colonies. But in the neo-colonial era this strategy is discarded since the economic
backwardness of people is against the economic interest of neo-colonialists. By
programmed and monitored development of these regions, the purchasing power of people
is enhanced, so that they could be the market for consumer products.

This astronomical arithmetic gimmicking is necessary to betray the people. It justifies the
claims for mammoth funds in the name of tourism industry and the flow of various aids
and loans, in the overall plan for 'develop and loot'. Other nations and time had proved
that these economic aid would contribute nothing to the receiving nation's economy. Only
the debt trap awaits the people and nation, while the greedy politicians' foreign bank
accounts swells.*

By exposing the entire state for tourism the fate of Tamil Nadu and her people are at stake.

* With hardly five years of liberalisation policy the black money and kick backs our political leaders enmassed is daily
news and vouches this statement. Tamil Nadu's ex-chief minister Ms.Jayalalitha has to answer the High court regard-
ing the Pleasant Stay Home case secret G.O. apart from the land dealings at Kodaikanal and along the East Coast Road.

End Note

1 Tourism Demand No.50. 1994-95 p.14.

2 Ibid. p.l.

82

VoMiei m tomtit*: l&toteA % 7am£t fUdu

Deepening disparity

Behind the rosy development indices

TheTamil Nadu Government has
been trumpeting its "impressive
performance" in the social sector
citing a few indicators: 64 percent
literacy, compared to 52 per cent
for the country; birth rate of 19 per
1000 population (28); death rate of
8.6 per 1000 (9.8); life expectancy
at birth of 61 years (59); and infant
mortality rate of 73 per 1000 live
births.

While these figures are impressive,
the nature of economic and social
development, according to some
independent studies, has been
"exclusionary" - that is, a large
section of the population has been
left out. These studies attribute the
impressive demographic

performance to the shrinking of the
family size due to a combination of
social and economic factors such as
"absolute deprivation" (45 percent
of the population lives below the
poverty line), increasing "relative
deprivation" (the rich becoming
richer, and the poor poorer),
education-driven awareness and
aspirations, and changing social
systems such as marriage
(increasing practice of dowry and
so on).

This argument has a strong basis in
the official data. According to the
National Sample Survey's
consumer expenditure data, the
poorest decile accounts for less
than four per cent of the total
consumer expenditure in the State,
while the richest decile spends
close to 30 per cent. In urban Tamil
Nadu, the poorest decile's per
capita consumer expenditure is less
than half the amount that
corresponds to the poverty line,
while the richest decile's is about
nine times the average of the
poorest decile. Over 60 per cent of
the population does not get the
recommended minimal nutritional
norm of 2,400 kilocalories per
capita per day.

That Tamil Nadu's impressive
demographic transition has
occurred in the absence of any
significant social and economic
progress is further reflected in a
low per capita income (Rs. 4,428,
with only six States below it), a
high percentage of population
below the poverty line (45 per cent,
compared to 39 per cent) and its
1 2th rank (among 17 States) in the
Human Development Index
(computed on the now-popular
United Nations Development
Programme's HDI). The ranking
indicates low levels of, and poor
accessibility to, education,
healthcare, housing and nutrition.

But the significant demographic
performance has a flip side. Tamil
Nadu's population growth is one of
the lowest not only because of the
low relative birth rates but also
because the death rate, though
slightly lower than the all India
figure, is not low enough. While
the State has 75 doctors per lakh
population, against the national
average of 43, the distribution of
hospitals is unfavourable to the
rural areas (25 per cent of the total
hospital compared to 42 per cent
all-India). Though primary health
centres (PHCs) extend preventive
and curative healthcare to the rural
areas, the coverage is still low - one
PHC for every 50,000 people. This
translates into a higher death rate in
the rural areas.

The steep decline in the birth rate -
to 18 per 1000 population in 1993
from 23 in 1987 - is also largely
due to a shrinking of the family
size to meet rising aspirations. With
high literacy levels comes a greater
awareness of what can be got, but
this is not matched by the ability to
get them. Hence, the family size is
reduced, particularly in the rural
areas, to provide better care for the
children. Also, changing social
practices - the break-down of the

practice of consanguinous
marriages and the prevalence of
dowry - have had an impact. This is
one reason for the high incidence
of female infanticide in some
pockets such as Usilampatti where,
with the emergence of the new-rich
"waterlords" who capitalise on the
demand for water, the accent is on
"non-consanguinous" marriages
entailing dowry.

There are disparities in the infant
mortality rate as well. While it has
been declining, it varies from place
to place, and is gender-biased. It is

40 per 1000 live births in the urban
areas and 67 in the rural areas; even
in Madras, the incidence is 70 per
cent higher among the slum
population.

A high infant mortality rate leads to a
lowerproportion of population in the
0-14 age-group and a higher
proportion in the 1 5-59 working age-
group. No wonderTamil Nadu's
workers-to-population ratio is
higher than the country *s, as are the
numbers of women and child
workers. Whilechild labour in the
State is put at 5 per cent of the worker
population, in areas like Sivakasi it is

41 percent(79percentofthemare
girls). With a large numberof child
workers in certain pockets and
industries like beedi-rolling in
Tirunelveli and North Arcot, and
match and fireworks in Sivakasi, the
State has the dubious distinction of
havingthe largest concentration of
child workers in Asia.

While the share of the workforce
across different sectors - primary,
secondary and tertiary - has
remained stable, it hides the
changes within each that have
accentuated the disparities. For
instance, in the primary, or
agriculture, sector the proportion of
cultivators has declined over the
last two decades by about 20
percentage points; they have
become labourers. Similarly, in the
secondary sector the proportion of
workers in household

manufacturing has fallen,
indicating a change in status, from
that of the self-employed to a wage

"~~~~ 83

&&UVU0tt&

worker. This has resulted in high
"casualisation" of the labourforce;
one-third of the men and two-thirds
of the women are casual workers in
the urban areas. The proportion is
higher in the rural areas.

The unemployment rate is also one
of the highest. In the 1980s, the
persondays unemployment rate
was over 16 per cent for men, and
even higher for women. This
increased by over 80 per cent
through the 1980s. According to
the Planning Commission's Expert
Committee on Poverty, 45 per cent
of Tamil Nadu's population is
below the poverty line.

Clearly, the widespread, persisting
deprivation and disparity in many
pacts of social and economic life,
despite specific programmes to
combat poverty and inequality,
indicate the failure of policy
interventions. Tamil Nadu's
approach to social security - which
comes under the Concurrent List -
has been ad-hoc. A number of
poverty alleviation programmes
have been introduced and steadily
enlarged, but many suffer from
fund leakages, poor focusing of
target groups, insufficient alloca-
tion and so on.

The protective entitlements
available in the 1980s in Tamil
Nadu outside the organised sector
were unemployment benefits (Rs.
50 for a maximum of three years
for the educated unemployed),
disability benefits (doles for the
physically handicapped), survivor
benefits (Rs. 5000 to the family of
deceased persons in hazardous
occupations, insurance for the
weavers in the cooperative sector
and monthly pensions for destitute
widows) and old-age pension (for
persons over 65).

The oldest and the most significant
of these schemes is the old-age
pension, introduced in 1962. This
was extended to the physically
handicapped (in 1975), agricultural
labourers (in 1981). Apart from
money, the beneficiaries were
provided free mid-day meal at

84

government schools, and two pairs
of dhotis/saris every year.

In 1 986-87, the Centre introduced a
limited life insurance scheme, of Rs.
1000, for the earning members of
agricultural labour households. In

1989, the State Government intro-
duced a survivorbenefit grant of Rs.
2000, to the kin of deceased
farmworkers; in 1990this was raised
toRs. 3000. Over25 per cent of the
poor households were covered in

1990. While the Workmen's Com-
pensation Act provides com-
pensation for injury or death at the
workplace, only for those in the
organised sector, the Accident
Relief Scheme (Rs.5000) introduced
in 1977 covered sewerage workers,
pesticide sprayers, well-diggers and
coconut tree climbers. This was later
extended to fishermen, agricultural
labourers, small and marginal far-
mers, village artisans, building and
construction workers and truck and
autorickshaw drivers. The benefit
was raised to Rs. 1 0000 in 1989.

Since 1989, a grant of Rs. 5000 is
being given to poor girls who
marry at or after 18 years and who
have studied at least up to 8th
standard; this helps poor
households avoid a debt trap, given
the high cost of marriages, and,
incidentally, also ensures that the
norms of minimum marriageable
age and basic education are met.
Over 25 per cent of poor
households were covered by this
scheme in 1990.

An estimated 44 lakh poor house-
holds (17 per cent), including 57
per cent of the poor women, were
"protected" by these schemes.
Unlike antipoverty schemes such
as the Integrated Rural
Development Programme, which
limit the number of beneficiaries
owing to budgetary constraints,
these State schemes have no
ceiling. Assuming there is no
overlap, 26 per cent of the 68
million poor households should
benefit. According to S. Guhan,
then adviser to the Chief Minister,
all these schemes, introduced by
the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

Government in the 1989-90
budget, would have cost the
exchequer Rs. 1450 crore, 1.4 per
cent of the revenues of the State
and Central Governments. But
most of the schemes were as short-
lived as the Government that
introduced them. With elections
round the comer, the Centre is all
set to adopt these measures for the
country as a whole, on the excuse
of giving "a human face" to its
economic reforms programme.

In mid- 1993, an integrated "Dr. J.
Jayalalitha 15-point programme"
for women and children was
introduced. It covered eight areas -
maternity and child health, nutri-
tion, family welfare, education,
drinking water and sanitation, child
labour, girl child and childhood
disability. These schemes, it was
claimed, were "based on scientific
principles". Under the much touted
"Puratchi Thalaivi Dr. Jayalalitha
Scheme for the Girl Child",
announced to end the Scrooge of
female infanticide in Salem district,
Rs.2000 is invested in the name of
the girl child enrolled in the
scheme, subject to five eligibility
conditions.

First, one of the parents should have
been sterilized before 35 years.
(Does it mean that parents who get
sterilized at, say, 36, are better off?)
Second, the parents should have
only one or two daughters and no
son. (But parents with more than
two daughters are bound to face
more problems.) Third, the child
should be the only daughter or the
second of two daughters. (The logic
underlying this is not clear.) Fourth,
the beneficiary should be less than
three at the time of enrolment in the
scheme. (The census defines a child
as one who is below four years.)
Fifth, the beneficiary's family
should be below the poverty line.
(Though this makes sense, there is a
problem in fixing the poverty line at
Rs. 6,400 a year for a family. With
an average family size of 4.5 and a
per capita income of Rs. 1 67 per
month, the official rural per capita
income - the poverty line should
havebeenRs. 9,023).

Vowwi m *?om&mt *ktottA % 7<xmd%xdu

The invested amount becomes Rs.
20,000 when the beneficiary is 20
years and it will be given to her
either for higher studies or
marriage; the latter, in a way,
promotes the dowry system. It is
proposed to set aside Rs.4 crore
every year for this scheme, which
can cover 20,000 children. But
according to official estimates,
there are nearly eight lakh girl
children in poor households; some
1.6 lakh girl children are born
every year in these households of
whom 1 1,000 die; in other words
their number increases by 1.5 lakhs
every year. So, if all poor female
children are to be covered, the
Government must set aside Rs. 30
crore every year. The scheme thus
seems poorly planned and
implemented.

Asha Krishnakumar
-Front Line 06 .1 0.95

TN earns Rs.21 lakhs
from tourism

CHENNAL, Nov 7 (UNI) - Tamil
Nadu Tourism Development
Corporation has earned foreign
exchange worth Rs.21 lakh per
annum for the last three years
through the operation of special
package tours for foreign tourists
according to tourism minister H.
Suresh Rajan.

Addressing a press conference after
inaugurating two air conditioned
coaches here, he said the
corporation, however had been
incurring hugelosses since the last
two year. The loss was Rs. 90 lakh
during 1995-96 and Rs.63 lakhs
during year 1994-95.

He said the loss was due to huge
expenditure over the projected
budget. The corporation had earned
a profit of Rs.10 lakh till
September this year as expenditure
levels had been brought down
significantly.

The corporation had appointed
agents in London to canvass
customers for the air-conditioned
coaches he said and added that the
coaches were operating to full
capacity. The operation of these
AC coaches was on foreign
exchange transaction.

- National Herald - 08,11.96

Exploitative economy

Environment and pollution concerns

A long coastline in the east, a
mountain range to the southwest,
fertile land irrigated by the Cauvery
in the south.... Tamil Nadu's
typographical features are as
diverse as they can be. And so are
its environmental problems.

The most significant of the State's
natural endowments is the 1000-
km-long coastline, accounting for
17 per cent of the country's total -
355 km on the Bay of bengal, 275
km on the Palk Straits, 3 15 km on
the Gulf of Mannar and 55 km on
the Arabian Sea. The Coastal Zone
Regulations of the Ministry of
Environment and Forests, intended
to protect coastal areas, are often
treated with scant regard. A case in
point is the Asian Development
Bank-funded East Coast Road, the
construction of which was
suspended for about a year
following protests against the
violation of these norms {Frontline,
December 6, 1992).

Much of the 7 coastal habitats have
been degraded. Though protected
as a reserve forest, vast areas of the
225 sq km of mangroves, teaming
with life, have been abused to the
point of extinction, except
Pichavaram in South Arcot district.

Also extensively damaged are the
23 coral islands between
Mandapam and Tuticorin, covering
683 hectares, home to a variety of
sea animals and weeds. More
important, coral has been quarried
on a large scale for a calcium
carbide factory in Tirunelveli -
Kattabomman district. While in the
1960s small quantities used to be
collected, in the 1980s over 1 5,000
tonnes of coral was removed,
damaging the reefs extensively.
With no reef frame-work left, re-
colonisation has become
impossible. While the Kochi-based
Central Marine Fisheries Research
Institute (CMFRI) has
recommended a total ban on

quarrying, illegal mining continues
and over 40 per cent of the coral is
said to have disappeared.

Also disappearing is sea grass, a
table delicacy which commands a
premium price abroad, from islands
in the Gulf of Mannar, where it was
found in abundance. This has been
caused mainly by the dumping of
wastes which has reduced light
penetration, leading to
eutrophication and sedimentation.

Pearl bank and chank beds, the
priced treasures off Tuticorin in the
Gulf of Mannar, are fast depleting
owing to industrial pollution and
the silt and mud carried by the
Tamaraparani river (mainly owing
to deforestation).

Ever since the Central
Government's Marine Products
Export Development Authority
(MPEDA), spurred by the export-
oriented New Economic Policy,
identified shrimp farming as a
thrust area, aqua-farming has
proliferated on over 176 ha,
producing 88 tonnes annually.

85

£nttitffoit4

With the trebling of prices since
1991, there has been a rush into
aquaculture, laying waste
mangrove forests and lagoons in
South Arcot and Nagai Quaid-e-
Milleth districts. The National
Environmental Engineering
Research Institute (NEERI), which
evaluated the State's aquaculture
status, has come out with startling
revelation on the damage done to
agriculture and the coastal
ecosystem. According to the
NEERI report, the damage to
agriculture in value terms far
outstrips the income from
aquaculture.

Of the over 1 2,000 industrial units
in the State, more than 5000 are on
the coast and some 25000 not far
away; the major concentration of
1500 is in Madras. These units
discharge into the sea such heavy
metals as cadmium, copper, lead,
mercury, nickel and zinc. No
wonder the mortality offish and
aquatic organisms is endemic in
many parts of the coast. For
instance, Kayalpatnam, south of
Tuticorin, has been witness to fish
kills since the 1 980s.

While the lagoons, which extend
up to 3 km into the the coast,
remain closed most of the year,
they open during the northeast
monsoon discharging the polluted
water into the sea for just a day or
two, but enough to kill thousands
of fish and aquatic organisms. The
two major chemical works at
Sahupuram, near Kayalpatnam,
discharging organic compounds,
chlorinated hydrocarbons and
mercury are the main polluters.

Tamil Nadu's most important river,
the Cauvery, has been passing on
the pollutants it collects along the
course to the sea. The Mettur
reservoir, with a capacity of 93.5
tmc ft and which irrigates over 1 .2
lakh hectares, is severely affected.
One reason is the rapid
industrialisation along the
Cauvery' s course. Industries are
concentrated near the Mettur and
Bhavani dams. The major towns
affected are Mettur, Bhavani,

86

Erode, Sankaridurg, Salem,
Pallipalayam, Kumara-palayam,
Namakkal, Puliyur and Pugalur.
Located on the main river as also
on its tributaries - the Noyyal, the
Bhavani and the Amravati - these
industries include textiles,
chemicals, distilleries, paper and
sugar.

Discharge from these units are
Alkalis, chromium, barium, arsenic
and cyanide as sludges and solid
waste. Distilleries throw out
minerals, colour, acids and
sulphate. High quantities of
chloride (2,200-7,500 mg/1) are
reported in the distillery effluents.
Textiles let out alkali, chlorine,
peroxide, detergents, dyes,
chromium and phenol, all highly
toxic and some even carcinogenic.

Also, most towns on the rivers,
including the Cauvery, are
unsewered. So sullage finds its way
directly into the rivers. According
to some estimates, the source of 90
per cent of river pollution is
sewage. According to Madras
Institute of Development Studies
Professor Dr. Paul Appaswamy,
specializing in the environmental
problems of the towns in Tamil
Nadu, "Sanitation conditions in
most towns are pathetic mainly
because of the ancient open
drainage systems, which seem
perpetually clogged."

The Amaravati has at least four large
units discharging waste water into it,
while the Noyyal has an equal
number of big units and numerous
dyeing and bleaching facilities
serving the Tirupur hosiery
industry. Also badly affected is the
Palar, mainly by the500tanneriesin
North Arcot district.

Equally, or more, damaging are the
hundreds of small units, whose
activities largely escape the
scrutiny of the Tamil Nadu
Pollution Control Board (TNPCB).
For instance, the dyeing and
bleaching units of the textile,
hosiery and carpet industries in
Bhavani, Kumarapalayam and
Pallipalayam discharge effluents

directly into the river. The multi-
coloured and foul-smelling
channels winding their way
through Pallipalayam and
Kumarapalayam towns tell their
own tale.

•At the receiving end has been the
TNPCB, which is generally
accused of not taking stringent
action against the polluters. But,
says a TNPCB official: "Small
units are the main culprits. The
Government should stop
encouraging polluting units in the
small-scale sector as they are
invariably unable to adhere to the
pollution control measures and it is
difficult to take action against
them."

As the TNPCB' s North Arcot Chief
Environmental Engineer K. Kumar
says, 'The main job of the bureau is
issuing permits for setting up units
and making regular inspections. But
on default the offenders are let off
with a small fine. Our hands are
tied." This apart, the offenders also
have connections in high places
making the job more difficult for the
TNCB. And, anyway, there is the
recourse to court stay orders, as
demonstrated by SIV Industries
which obtained a stay from the
Madras High Court on a closure
order of its pulp unit onthe Bhavani.

The delecterious effects of such
exploitative economic activity and
unplanned and haphazard
development are most visible in
Madras. Its 40-lakh population,
growing at 10 per cent a year,
generates over 2000 tonnes of
garbage and 500 tonnes of debris
daily. Much of the sewerage
system is of 1890 vintage, while
the water mains and drainage
system were first installed in 1914.
Though the Local Administration
Department and the Madras
Metropolitan Water Supply and
Sewerage Board (MMWSSB), or
Metrowater, claim that the entire
metro will soon have an
underground sewerage system,
according to estimates, even by the
end of this year 40 per cent of the
city will still remain uncovered.

Vo4Jtm m 7o«*t4**! turn* % l«m&%*d*

Apart from the problems of
domestic waste, the city's woes are
compounded by the discharge by
the units in the industrial suburbs
of Manali and Ennore in north
Madras.

While this has been the fate of the
industrialised c.ities and towns, the
growing affluence and corporate
culture ha ve taken these problems t o
the beautiful and clean hills of the
Western Ghats. Rampant defore-
station and proliferation of hotels
and tourist homes without proper
effluent treatment facilities have
degraded mostofthe hill towns.

There are other areas of concern.
One is the heavy pesticide and
fertilizer load: over 8,000 tonnes of
fertilizer and 500,000 litres of
liquid pesticides are used in the
State. Two, while DDT is banned
in most countries, it continues to be
used in significant quantities (9,224
micrograms/litre) for sanitation
purposes. Three, increased
radioactive waste from the Madras
Atomic Power Station at
Kalpakkam: the radioactive waste
discharge levels went up
significantly from 1985 to 1988.

With environmental degradation
affecting the livelihood of lakhs of
people, the state has an important
role in stopping it. A beginning has
been made. For instance, the
polluted stretches of the Cauvery -
Kumarapalayam, Bhavani, Erode,
Tiruchi and Pallipalayam - are to
be cleaned under a Rs. 38-crore
Central Programme.

The national lake conservation plan
is to be extended to
Udhagamandalam and Kodaikanal.
Common Effluent Treatment Plants
are being set up in North Ar cot's
tannery belt. Units producing
hazardous and toxic waste are not
to be allowed.

But all this will not suffice. More
focused action is the need of the
hour.

As ha Krishnakumar
- Frontline - 06,09.95

Jaya chargesheeted
in Kodai hotel case

CHENNAI: Former Tamil Nadu
chief minister Jayalalitha, and four
others were on Saturday
chargesheeted by the state
Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-
Corruption (DVAC) in a corruption
case relating to the grant of illegal
exemption from building and
planning rules to "Pleasant Stay"
hotel at Kodaikanal iii 1994.

The DVAC charged the five Ms.
Jayalalitha, the local administration
minister in her cabinet T.M.
Selvaganapathy, former municipal
administration secretary ; H.M.
Pandey, Rakesh Mittal, executive
director, "Pleasant Stay (Kodai)
Hotel Pvt Ltd", and "Pa'ai" N.
Shanmugam, its chairman and
managing director with conspiring
to confer illegal favours without
any public interest on private
individuals, and thereby, gain
pecuniary advantage.

They were arraigned under Sec.
120 (b) (conspiracy) and Sec.477-a
(falsification of accounts) under
IPC and S#c. 13 (2) read with Sec.

13(1 )(d) of the Prevention of
Corruption Act.

The final investigation report was
filed before the principal session
judge A. Ramamoorthy, who is
also the special judge under the
Prevention of Corruption Act.

However, the DVAC did not
provide details of the chargesheet.
The grant of exemptions, the main
exemption order being passed in
May 1994, by the AIADMK
regime came under a cloud when a
public interest litigation was
initiated by the Palni Hills
Conservation Council (PHCC), a
non-government organization in
1994,

In April 1995, a division bench of
the Madras high court, struck down
the controversial exemption orders,
severely indicting Ms Jayalalitha
and Mr Selvaganapathy for total
non-application of mind in the
matter.

- The Economic Times - 19.01.97

Hotel floors to be demolished

MADRAS- A division bench of the
madras High Court has directed
that the top fi ve floors of the seven
storeyed building of Pleasant Stay
Hotel in Kodaikanal be demolished
by August 31.

The bench comprising Justice M
Srinivasan and Justice jagadeesan
also dismissed a writ petition from
the hotel management seeking
clarification of its earlier
judgement.

The bench observed that the
interpretation sought to be placed
on its earlier judgement by the
hotel was wholly unwarranted and
erroneous, making it clear that no
further time would be granted to
the hotel beyond August 31.

The bench asked the hotel to retain
only the ground floor and the floor
above it. PTI

- The Indian Express

87

£oU4tfoit&

1,500 acres grabbed
by Sasikala's family

TIRUNELVEI, Nov. 7: More
property tumbles out of the
Sasikala family closet.
Investigations by the Vigilance
Department have revealed that
about 1,500 acres weie acquired by
her nephew, V.N. Sudhagaran, in
Chidambaranar district during the
AIADMK's 1992-95 rule,
Sudhakaran had been the foster son
of former Chief Minister J.
Jayalalitha who later dumped him
unceremoniously.

The land-grabbing - carried out in
bits and pieces - is believed to have
started in 1992 itself and
culminated with a 300-acre farm at
Chera Kulam in 1995. In several
cases, authorities say, signatures of
farmers were forged to acquire
land. The properties are allegedly
registered in the names of

Sudhagaran, his relatives. Sasikala
and her sister-in-law, Illavarasi.

One of the former government
officials accused of involvement in
the encroachment, Shiva, is said to
have confessed to the vigilance
authorities that he acquired several
hundreds of acres for the family
under power of attorney. He also
said that Sasikala and her family
were yet to pay several lakhs of
rupees for the purchases.

The Indian Express has now found
out that the whole operation was
carried out through a front of real
estate agents, who were given
power of attorney. They, in turn,
were allegedly helped by four
retired government officials -
besides Siva, Pandianesan, Radha-
krishnan and Rajendran - who

acted on their behalf for the
purchases.

The operation worked some-what
like this. The agents camped in
Tirunelveli during the period and
contacted about 20 brokers in the
nearby villages to spread the word
about the proposed acquisition.
Right on their cue, the brokers
started pressuring the villagers.

In village Chera Kulam, for
example, nominal rates - ranging
from Rs 1.000 to Rs 2,000 - were
offered to about 500 landowners.
(The Market value for an acre in
the village during the period was
around Rs 20.000.) Even of the
offered sum, the farmers say they
got only Rs 1 ,500, the rest going to
the brokers as their cut. The
authorities have talked to 225
farmers of the area regarding the
transactions.

P.K.Prakash
- The Indian Express -08. 1 1. 96

Transferring park case
to hotel project

FIR to be filed against Indira kumari

An FIR is to be filed against former
Social Welfare Minister in J.
Jayalalitha's cabinet, R. Indira
Kumari, within 10 days in a new
case, for transferring prime land in
Coimbatore meant for a children's
theme park to a private hotel
project.

The then Social Welfare Secretary
Kirubakaran and the then
Managing Director of Tamil Nadu
Women's Development

Corporation, Rajamohan, will also
be processed against in the same
case, official sources told The
Indian Express.

The CID (Crime Branch) will file
88

the FIR. A preliminary inquiry had
been conducted at the instance of
the Directorate of Vigilance and
Anti-Corruption (DVAC) by the
CID.

The matter was then referred back
to the DVAC to proceed further in
the matter. Accordingly, the FR. is
being filed, since the transfer of
concessional land to the private
hotel had resulted in loss of
revenue of several crores rupees to
the State Government, the sources
added.

Land earmarked for a children's
Theme Park by the Women's
Development Corporation had

been diverted to the hotel project.

Exception had been taken to the
note put up by Kirubakaran, that
development of a hotel would also
result in development of women.

Inquiries by the DVAC and the
CID have also revealed that some
officials have tried to help the
private hotel project by suggesting
that the concessional land for a
children's park could be sold at the
same subsidised rate to the hotel
management.

The then Finance Secretary
Narayanan is believed to have
objected to the sale.

He had insisted that even if the
land was to be given to a hotel,
the cost should be at least five
times the rate earmarked for the
park.

Voteim ok Tomtom; <?tem4 % 1*m& %idu

Thereby, the loss to the
Government was vastly reduced by
the proposal, although the hotel
was still assigned the land on a 30-
year-lease at rates lower than the
prevailing market rate.

One estimate says the land,
considering that the lease was for a
long period, should have really
been priced far higher and its value
should be taken at Rs 56 crore in
view of incremental value every
three years.

Another estimate places it at a
lower figure.

There is a substantive loss to the
Government involved in the
transaction, and the former minister
and the two officers, are being
brought under the scope of the
case.

'The matter is at a fairly advanced
stage", an official said.

Indian Express.

BALAJI GROUP TO INVEST

RS 3000-CR ON EXPANSION,

DIVERSIFICATON

Our Madras Bureau 1 5 March

THE Madras-based Balaji group
has chalked out plans for investing
over Rs 3000 crore in the next four
to five years to expand and
diversify its interests in distilleries,
steel, shipping, cement, power, real
estate, hotels, steel, aqua culture
and financial services.

The exercise has been launched
with a view to raising the group's
turnover to Rs 6000 crore within
the next five years from the present
level of around Rs 700 crore.

According to the officials in the
group, the proposals include an
investment of Rs 1000 crore in
power, Rs 600 crore in steel, Rs
350 crore in hotels, Rs 300 crore in
shipping, Rs 150 crore in the
Madras Industrial Park and over Rs
500 crore in cement. The resources
are to be raised through internal
accruals, Euro loans and the capital
market, among other things.

The officials to\dthe Economic
Times that in areas like power, the
group had big plans: While it was
setting up a 1 00 m w power plant
based on furnace oil at Madurai, it
had signed MoUs in Andhra Pradesh
for putting up 200 mw plants. The
investment in power, therefore,
could exceed Rs, 1000 crore.

In addition, fresh investments have
been planned in shipping which is
emerging as the growth area in
general. For one, Balaji Distilleries
Ltd. one of the group companies,
has already diversified into this
area by acquiring two handymax
bulk carriers of around 37,000 dead
weight tonnage, namely, Balaji
Vintage and Balaji Premium. This
involved an investment of Rs 100
crores. Further, BDL would be
acquiring three more ships
involving an outlay of Rs. 150
crore during the current year.

Sources explained that following
the signing of the Gatt accord,
international trade was expected to
witness a phenomenal rise in the
cross border trading which augured
well for the industry. Accordingly,
the group proposes to buy six ships
in all in the next year or two. One
new area that the group is now
pursuing is cement.

Under Balaji Industrial Corporation
Ltd (BICL), which is becoming its
flagship, the group proposes to
acquire a large plant with an
existing capacity of over eight lakh
tonnes. In this context, it is
finalising plans to join hands with
one of the leading cement
companies in the world.
Significantly, it has already made a
bid for the TN PSU, Tancem.

To add to its existing strength, the
groups is all set to raise steel output
to four lakh tonnes by setting up an
integrated steel plant. It has
engaged M N Dastur to undertake a
detailed study for the purpose.

The proj«ct would cost Rs. 600 odd
crore. "Since we have our own
customers, selling the steel should
be no problem. Already we have 45
depots spread over different parts
of the country, said a senior
company official.

Added to all this is the investment
that the group is making in hotels,
under the aegis of the Balaji Hotels
and Enterprises Ltd (BHEL). Under
this, it is setting up a five star
deluxe hotel in Madras at a prime
location in association with the
Oberois. Involving an investment
of over Rs. 1 50 crore, the hotel will
have 360 rooms.

Similarly, it plans to set up a host
of four star hotels in different
locations in the country in
collaboration with the Oberois.
BHEL proposes to tap the capital
market for raising a part of the
funds required for the five star
deluxe hotels though much of the
resource required for the hotel
would also come from the sale of
the commercial space equivalent to
200,000 sq feet in the hotel block.

The four star hotels, also being put
up in collaboration with the
Oberois group, would be managed
by Novotel. These hotels will be
part of a chain which BHEL plans
to set up in the country.

Further, the group is giving
finishing touches to its aqua farm
near Nellore covering 1 00 acres, the
largest such farm in the country,
company officials maintained, the
farm will grow 200 million post
larval shrimps and will comprise
1 50 hectares of waterspread area
coupled with a plant with a capacity
to process 9000 tonnes of shrimp.
The 1 00 per cent EoU involving an
investment of Rs 65 crore, has been
financed jointly by ICICI, IFCI,
IRBI and SBI, New York.

- The Economic Times - 16.03.96

89

£&t4tf&#d

7
Politics Of Tourism Development

The global, national and state level dominance on policies by a minuscule minority who is
politically and economically powerful is a general phenomenon. Tourism policies are no
exception. The tentacles of this powerful lobby, in fact a form of dominant coalition, has
been extended to every nook and corner of the state through tourism policies.

People in the tourism localities are made mere pawns in the profit game played by
multinational hotel chains, transnational airline companies, huge transport manufacturers
and tour operators. Political patronage for this profit game is available at national, state and
local level because domestic rich and powerful are also getting a piece of the cake.

The whole rhetoric about decentralisation is a tool to appease the local elite and to make
them part of the global and national power chains thus making them subservient to the
expansionist needs of the global and national rich. It is a process of co-opting and
containing dissent even in the remote corners.

People of the existing tourism localities and those which are earmarked for tourism have
never been consulted before drastically changing the life processes in their areas through
tourism. The 'top-down* policy making is based on political exclusion of the people from
making their own choices about their life and activities. The mythical democratic
structures are used as a means to legitimise these kind of political exclusion.

The people of Yercaud should decide whether they want tourism or some other activity.
The representatives who are nesting in New Delhi or Madras who became what they are
through arithmetic of elections (obtaining only a small fraction of the total votes) have no
right to change life processes through demoniac policies. These policies are churned out
according to the profit demands of global agencies and enterprises who have legitimised
greed and exploitation as their operational ideology.

Political clout of Development

Political parties in Tamil Nadu have conveniently changed their colour to match the
emerging economic order, shedding behind the ideals for which their parent body fought.
Both AIADMK and DMK branched from Dravida Kazhakam. DK was a mass movement
with a vision on social justice, nationality and socio-cultural issues. But later 'charismatic'
leaders hijacked the movement, opiated the people with their celluloid image and rhetoric.
The innumerable factions of DK movement today fight in the name of Tamil people. But
the fight is only to be in power and be a party in the loot.

90 ______

VoMier m 7<xvu4m.- $44&4 % limit TUfa

The economic liberalisation allows a lot of space to these corrupt politicians to enmass
enormous wealth by way of commission and kick-backs from aid and loans that flows into
the state in the name of development.* A servile bureaucracy is created for the smooth
covert operation. Project upon project, seeking collaboration, aid and loans from multi-
nationals and international money lenders like IMF and WB should be understood in this
context. Even though these loans are against strict conditionalities, a false feel of
autonomy is created among the ruling politicians and bureaucracy, since they enjoy
considerable freedom in the allocation and spending of these funds. The uncertainty in
retaining power and time span for government in office, hastens the greed to haul as much
wealth as possible from as many projects. The basic reason for the mammoth
infrastructure oriented projects could be traced to this greed.

This also points to the myth about individuals being corrupt and change in leadership
would restore the age old ethics.

At the same time the enormous ill earned wealth and the backing of bureaucracy at beck
and call, together with the false autonomy, psychologically elevates the elected
representatives in power from realities to fantasies. They metamorphosise into monarchs,
empresses and dictators.

The ultimate of this situation is in Tamil Nadu. One of the largest tourist attraction to
Tamil Nadu capital Madras is the larger than life image cut-outs, 100 to 150 feet tall, of the
Tamil Nadu political leaders.

State, Power and Peoples' Right

In a nation like Indian Union, every economic activity is determined by the Central
Government policies. Hence all policies are the representations of the State and the
political party in power. Local State Governments implement these policies, irrespective
of their political shade or colour. This reveals the fact that they have no difference of
opinion in policy matters from that of the Central Government, i.e. They have nothing
fundamental of their own to offer, from their economic and cultural and geographical
specificity.

So, when the Central Government while introducing the National Action Plan on Tourism
(NAPT), states that the earlier economic policies have failed and tourism is the only
antidote for the ailing economy, Tamil Nadu Government have no opposition to open up
the entire state for tourism. Nor is there any refutations to clarify; why the previous
economic system have failed, who formulated the policies and what role do the people of
Tamil Nadu have in the failure.

♦Former Chief Minister MsJayalalitha and Tourism Minister Mr.Nagoor Meeran are facing curruprtion charges.

S fflWfVtffftf

The unopposed implementation of policies in the regional states is possible through the
monolithic Central - State structure. A vast nation like the Indian Union, with innumerable
the nationalities and geographical boundaries, lacks any insight to a federal structure.
Hence, implementation of policies overlooks geographical, economic and cultural
specificity of individual states and its people. The new tourism policy is a glaring example.
The Central Government through this policy mocks the people of Tamil Nadu by asking
them to be the 'receivers' of a few tourist in the name of foreign exchange and
employment. At the same time it overlooks Tamil Nadu's immense agricultural economy,
industrial infrastructure, potential work-force, well founded traditional production and
economic activities.

This state structure helps the central ruling class in the unilateral implementation of
policies, denying any space for pluralistic interventions. The assumption is that once they
are 'democratically' elected to power, they have the mandate to 'act for the whole' and
enforce any policies which they deem fit. This self asserted notion to 'act for the whole'
should be the very basis of our debate, even if we are to assume that there are no vested
interests in these policies. The debate shall originate from the premise, whether any policy
with nation-wide consequences, require the approval of people or a general mandate to
office bestows the power to a ruling group, the authority.

The relevance of this debate is from the realisation that exploitative and oppressive tourism
policies are imposed on people undemocratically. Tourism policies unilaterally declares
that tourism is the only economic activity for the inflow of foreign exchange. Tourism
policies identifies every hill, dale, seashore, forest and places of worship as potential sites
for tourism activities. At the same time these policies refuses to recognise the traditional
economic and income generation of people at tourism destinations. That forests, sea and
seashore has its own natural and historic functions.

Tourism is not a voluntary activity in a nation like ours. It is planned and imposed on
people through policies. Hence people have every right to differ from these policies. To
differ on policies is to decline the state structure and challenge the political system. The
vibrancy of people lies in their ability to be a threat against any oppressive system.

People in tourism destinations cannot afford to get caught into the debate of various forms
of tourism. Nor can they afford to treat each violation at tourism destinations as an
aberration. Every undemocratic policy has violence inherent in it. That in turn would
perpetuate violence into the society. Struggles without identifying these basic
contradictions reduces itself into shadow boxing.

Drafting 'alternative' tourism policies would ultimately end up in 'another' policy making
- merely the other side of the coin - creating another power centre. Constant threat of co-
option, misuse and abuse by the state and the ultimate betrayal of the cause.

92

Vacate*. 0* *7mniAm: *)u**u % 7*#t& %ubt.

The seeds of alternative lies in the people's ability to differ on policies at one level and
policy manifestations at tourism destinations at the other. It also lies in the realisation of
people in tourism destinations that the ultimate power lies in their hands in decision
making," since it is their live worlds that is at stake. It is this process of decision making
that determines what kind of tourism a particular people/region should have. Also, whether
a particular people/region should have tourism at all.

To differ on policy is not alternative policy making. It is to perpetuate and widen the area
of dispute and enhance the collective identity of people in dispute.

93

&tgfftfffottd

Larger Than Life

Sycophancy, a flourishing activity in the state 's politics,
breeds an equally flourishing mini industry in cut-outs of
political figures

Nagoor Meeran

(Tourism Minister): Caused a loss
of Rs. 2 crore by favouring V.N.
Sudhakaran's Super Duper in the
purchase of dish antennas for the
Tourism Development Hotels.

94

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All the Chief Minister's Men

Jayalalitha is not the only member
of her Cabinet to be embroiled in
charges of corruption and
maladministration. Fourteen of her
27 ministers keep her good
company, reports K.M. Thomas

In the true tradition of Tamil Nadu
politics, former Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister J. jayalalitha was given
the title of Puratchi Thalaivi
(revolutionary leader) by the
AIADMK a couple of years after
MGR's death in 1987.

This was a close relative of the title
by which MGR was popularly
known Puratchi Thalaiver. It is
perhaps apt. The corruption charge
against her and her ministers are
staggering enough to be dubbed
almost revolutionary.

Apart from Jayalalitha, 14 of the 27
ministers in her Cabinet have been
charged with corruption or
maladministration. Three of her
Cabinet colleagues are currently in
jail. A former minister is
absconding. FIRs have been filed
against several other former
ministers.

The house of Sedapatti S. Muthiah,
who was the Tamil Nadu Assembly
Speaker during her regime, has
been raided and he too is under
investigation by the Directorate of
Vigilance and Anti-Corruption
(DVAC) for possession of wealth
disproportionate to his known
sources of income.

So elaborate is the list of corruption
charges against the Jayalalitha
Cabinet and the Jayalalitha coterie,
that discussions on the charges
dominated the budge session of the
Tamil Nadu Assembly which
ended on August 31. The four-
member AIADMK legislative
group was put on the mat as one
minister after another in the
Karunanidhi Cabinet vied for space

to pull out the skeletons from the
ministry cupboards.

Jayalalitha herself topped the list
with allegations of having sold
Government land forRs 1 .82 crore
in May 1 992, violating the code of
conduct for ministers prohibiting
them from buying orselling any
immovable property to the Govern-
ment the value of the property is
estimatedatRs4.43 crore.

The former chief minister is the
first accused in the criminal case
filed by the DVAC in the granting
of licence to the Pleasant Stay
Hotel in Kodaikanal, which
constructed a seven-storeyed
structure, in gross violation of three
different sets of building rules.

Even when she was the Chief
Minister of Tamil Nadu, the
Supreme Court passed stricture
against her for not applying her
mind when clearing this particular
file. Strangely enough, this excuse
has now come handy for her and
her counsel has forwarded the
argument that she can't be accused
of corruption in this case, because
even the apex court stated that she
had not applied her mind.

Fearing arrest 12 charges, she filed a
petition in the High Court, but her
application for blanket anticipatory
bail was dismissed. There is also a
ease against her for receipt of US
$3,00,000 in foreign exchange
underthe immunity scheme.

But outshining even her is Sasikala
Natarajan, the video-living with
Jayalalitha, is presently languishing
in the Madras Central prison as a
remand prisoner.

Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi
announced in the Assembly on July
6 that Sasikala and benamis owned
properties at 500 places in Tamil
Nadu. The details furnished by him

included 18.16 acre at
Mahabalipuram, 5.04 acre near
Madras, a 9,000 sq. ft. house in
Thanjavur, a Rs 80 lakh house
nearby in the name of her husband
Natarajan, another house worth Rs
25 lakh in the name of one
Anbalagan, a house worth Rs 6
lakh at Mannargudi in her name
TANSI land and another adjoining
piece of land at Guindy, and a
building worth Rs 15 lakh at
Kodaikanal in her nephew
Bhaskaran's name.

Apart from this, some of the known
assets acquired by Sasikala's
family after jayalalitha came to
power are:

■ A college building on a 10- acre

plot at Sundarakottai in the
name of Divakaran, Sasikala's
brother.

■ A Rs 1 -crore air-conditioned
wedding hall at Thiruthu-
raipoondi in memory of
Sasikala's parents.

■ Vinodagan Memorial Hospital
at Thanjavur.

■ Semgamala Women's College
owned by her brother Diva-
karan, valued at Rs. 3 crore.

■ Ramraj Agro a rice and oil
extraction plant worth Rs 5
crore.

■ JS Housing Development
which purchased the Mylapore
house and property for Rs 54
lakh.

■ J Jay TV (now defunct).

■ Sasikala's family owns a
bungalow in Tiruchi in the
name of her brother-in-law
Vivekanandari and, a bungalow
in T. Nagar in Madras in the
name of her brother Sundara-
vadanam,

Nemesis, however, caught up with
Sasikala because of the TV station,
ironically named after J. Jayala-
litha. On June 20 this year, Sasikala
was arrested for FERA violations.
Enforcement Directorate sources
say that she was involve in viola-
tions amounting to US $680,000
and Singapore $ 136,000.

- The Indian Expree - 04.09.96

95

TN To Float Global Tender
For IT Park

The Tamil Nadu Government has
finalised plants to float a global
tender within a fortnight to set up
an information technology park
near Chennai. The tender will call
for interested parties to set up and
run a technology park on 250 acres
of land. The earmarked site is
situated a few km outside the city,
at Kelambakkam. The nodal
government agencies for the
project are the Tamil Nadu
Industrial Development Corpora-
tion (TIDCO) and Electronics
corporation of Tamil Nadu
(ELCOT).

Though the actual level of
investment will be decided on the
outcome of the tender, it is
expected to run into a couple of
hundred crores. The project is
scheduled to be completed in three
years. The park will offer
infrastructure for both hardware
and software units, along the lines
of the Thiruvananthapuram
Technopark. Developed plots as
well as built-up space will be
offered to companies. Around
3,00,000 square metres of built -up
area is being envisaged. Apart from
office space and plots, the park will
also offer residential accommo-

dation and a commercial area
which will include a shopping
mall. A golf course may also be
built. High speed communication
facilities, including 64 kbps links,
will be offered.

Apart from the technology park at
Chennai, the Government it also
finalising the Bharathiar Techno
Campus project at Coimbatore
which will come up on 100 acres
of land on the Bharathiar
University campus. This project
which has been on the drawing
board for more than a year now
envisages co-operation between the
industry and the university.

Software technology parks are also
being planned at Hosur and
Tiruchi. The Government is keen
to promote software in a big way
given the abundance of software
engineers graduating from the
State.

The information technology park at
Kelambakkam is the second
information infrastructure project
being promoted by the State
Government.

— Business Line, 16/2/97

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8
Conclusion

This dossier is an attempt to have an overall look into Tamil Nadu and her tourism
activities. The general attitude taken, as it is evident, is not to determine the 'micro-macro'
in tourism. Nor to get hooked into the debate of its various 'forms'. No emphasis is laid to
issues or regions which could be termed as specific case studies. The thrust is to identify
and reveal tourism policies and related issues.

Visiting some of Tamil Nadu's major tourism centres, talking to people in the localities,
different groups and tourism officials and also going through many documents helped to
arrive at the following findings not so much as a conclusion but which may lead to specific
studies, discussions and praxis:

Realisations :

=> People are the rightful inheritors /owners of the land and resources in tourism
localities.

=> People, their harmonious interaction and nature together means ecosystems.

=> Recognising the historical knowledge of people, their participation in tourism
activities would lead to a more holistic and less harmful tourism.

=> People in tourism localities have the right to tourism profits.

=> The urban concept of private property and the common property concept of tribals and
other communities is a reality.

=> Many of the 'experts' especially the foreigners do not seem to realise the
contradictions between written laws and the implementation.

=> Conventional protests and trade union activities seem defunct in tourism 'industry'.
Though there is high concentration of capital, investments are segregated, lesser
number of employees who are urban, representing the upper strata of the society and
educated to cater the tourism industry.

Observations :

=> There is a visible shift to locate tourism into the wilderness, what is known as eco-
tourism and coastal regions for beach tourism.

97

J54PMUUaH6

Land from the local people are disappearing at a very fast rate.

Infrastructural requirements on the periphery land of eco-tourism activity mounts,
resulting in reduction or total abandoning of agricultural activity.

The same is applicable to coastal regions and fishing activity.

The shifts from agriculture and fishing activities may lead to food dependency.

The inflow of huge capital and high spending in tourism destinations creates 'artificial
inflation zones'.

Local salaried groups in tourism destinations are not benefited by tourism but on the
other hand adversely affected by inflation, increase in land prices and rent.

Commercialisation of culture and beliefs, de-contextualised performances which
would end up the people as ahistorical.

Tourism Department pressing for single window clearance of tourism projects so as
to effectively evade from environmental controls and different departments involved.

Lack of simplified methodology to study crucial tourism impacts like carrying
capacity, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Reports, Tourism economy
dynamics etc..

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TOURISM

DEMAND No. 50

POLICY NOTE

1997-98

C

GOVERNMENT OF TAMIL NADU

1997

TOURISM

DEMAND No.50

POLICY NOTE

1997-98

"That is a land that yields increase unsought
That is no land whose gifts with toil are bought"

True to this diction of the immortal Poet Thiruvalluvar, Tamil Nadu is by nature endowed
with all resources. Tourists both from abroad and from various parts of our country visit
our State in large numbers to see and enjoy hoary art and culture enshrined in our ancient
temples, the nature's bounty lavishing in the hills, beaches, wild life sanctuaries and the
singing cascades and also to actively participate in aquatic sports.

"The Universe in one - All are out kinsmen", is the historical aphorism etched in the Tamil
literature two thousand years age; On the same plan, the World Tourism Organisation has
declared "Tourism in the year 1996-97 as a symbol of tolerance and peace".

Tourism is acknowledged as an industry today. The country's economic development is
inter-linked with the development of tourism. Tourism helps to earn foreign exchange to
a greater extent. It also provides both direct and indirect employment to millions of
people. The tourism development policies of the Government are devised on this basis.
During the Eighth Five Year Plan period, we planned for an outlay of Rs. 5.25 crores for
tourism, whereas, during the same period, we have incurred an expenditure of Rs. 13.74
crores. So this is a matter of great satisfaction that we have spent 2 1/2 times more than
what was originally planned for during the Eighth Five Year Plan. In this background, we
have to look at the Ninth Plan.

As our approach to the Ninth Five Year Plan, the tourism department of Government of
India in their publication have enumerated the following objectives;

1 . Infrastructural development

2. Product development and diversification including development of mega tourism

resorts.

_ ^ . _______ _

Z,4U&t&0H&

3. Entrepreneurship development and promotion of employment opportunities.

4. Enhanced tourist facilitation.

5. Human resources development

6. Research and computerisation.

7. Environmental and cultural preservation

8. Provision of incentives.

9. Monitoring and evaluation.

10. Strengthening of organisation.

The Tamil Nadu Government will generally adopt the approach and the objectives set out
by Government of India in the tourism sector for the Ninth Plan also.

Tourism in India

The arrival of international tourists in the year 1951 was 16,829 which had increased to
2.12 million in 1995. Indian Tourism mainly consists of domestic tourism. In 1994, the
domestic tourists who visited various parts of our country exceeded the 100 million mark
while an additional 150 million tourists had travelled without availing of the paid facilities.
Next to diamond and garment making, tourism is considered as the third biggest export
earning industry, (as far as diamond and garments industry are concerned, it involves
imports also). It is estimated that the foreign exchange that India earned through tourism
in the year 1995-96 might be around Rs. 9186 crores (2928 million American Dollars).

TOURISM IN TAMIL NADU

Tamil Nadu has been a haven of peace for the tourists from time immemorial. The
following statement would indicate the number of tourists who visited Tamil Nadu during
the last three years.

Years

Type of Tourists

1994 1995 1996

% Increase in the year 1996

(Number in Lakhs)

Domestic
Foreign

160.00 172.00 182.00
4.89 5.86 6.14

6%

5%

The Government allocates funds for the development of tourism every year taking into
consideration its budget constraints. Besides this, efforts are made to attract private
promoters in the field of Tourism. When the private promoters have come forward to
invest in tourism projects, they do not get proper land. And for getting facilities like

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electricity, drinking water, drainage and sewerage, they have to seek the approval of
various departments which result in undue delay for various reasons. The department of
tourism has been coordinating with various departments so that clearances are secured by
private promoters very quickly.

WORKING GROUP ON NINTH FIVE YEAR PLAN

The Government of Tamil Nadu have nominated a working Group on Tourism for
purposes of preparing a comprehensive plan for incorporation in the ninth Five Year Plan
(1997-2002) document. The working group is expected to commence its deliberations and
submit their recommendations soon.

TOURISM POLICY OF TAMIL NADU

The Tamilnadu Government has been following consistently a positive role in developing
tourism activities in the state. Broadly, the policies followed are the following:-

i. Developing tourist centers depending upon the flow of domestic and foreign tourists,

ii. Priority given for the centres depending upon the carrying capacity of the centre,

iii. For attracting private investment, single window clearance system is adopted for

tourism projects,

iv. Tourism pulsate both in national and international media.

v. Integrated development and monitoring,

vi. Tourism Advisory Committees at the State and Districts level,

vii. Development of cultural tourism through festivals.

In order to improve the domestic tourism and to create awareness and to provide
information to the public on tourism activities, three new tourist offices have been opened
in Dharmapuri, Kodaikanal and Tirnelveli. At present fourteen tourist offices in Tamil
Nadu and Tourist Offices in New Delhi, Calcutta, Mumbai and Goa are functioning under
the control and supervision of the Tourism Department. This Department is taking steps to
open tourist offices in all the districts. In the recently formed Perambalur Thiruvalluvar
district, Government have issued orders to open a Tourist Office during the year 1 996-97.
Sanction of staff to this tourist office is currently under the consideration of Government.

ALLOCATION FOR TOURISM DEVELOPMENT UNDER HILL AREA
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

Under the Hill Area Development Programme the Nilgiris district alone is covered and
special allotment is made for developing tourism.

In 1996-97 a sum of Rs. 61.75 lakhs was sanctioned for several schemes including the
construction of a hanging bridge across the Ooty Lake.

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For the ensuing year 1997-98, the following schemes costing Rs. 80.00 lakhs have been
approved.

SI. Name of the Scheme Amount

No. (Rs. in lakhs)

1 . Construction of Youth Hostel cum-

Restaurant as wayside facilities at Gudalur 1 5.00

2. Installation of Computers in the Tourist

Information Office at Udhagamandalam 1 .50

3. Provision of Telescope in Doddabettah peak 3.00

4. Children's amusement facilities at
Theppakadu youth hostel in
Mudumalai Wild life Sanctuary and

for improving parking facilities. 1.50

5. Tourist pleasure ride ropeway between
children's Lake Garden and Boat House

at Udhagamandalam 50.00

6. Special Programme 9.00
Total 80.00

DECENTRALISED DISTRICT PLAN

Under the decentralised district plan the Collectors allot funds to formulate and execute
schemes. During the year 1996-97, under this plan, the following Tourism Projects were
identified for sanction.

(Rs. in lakhs)

1 . Provision of Tourist facilities at
Gangaikonda Chozhapuram in Perambalur
Thiruvalluvar District 5.00

2. Provision of rest shed, toilets and
drinking water at 'Erwadi' in

Ramanathapuram District 5.00

3. Provision of tourist facilities at

Sivanmalai in Periyar District 2.00

— ___

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4. Provision of tourist facilities at

Hogenakkal, Dharrnapuri District 4.90

5. Observation tower at Pillar Rocks at

Kodaikanal, Mannar Thirumalai District 5.00

6. Sewage work, repairing of toilets and
provision of road on the northern side of
Poompuhar Tourist Complex in Nagai
Quaid-E-Milleth District 2. 1 5

The District Collectors have been requested to allot more funds for the development of
domestic tourist facilities under this plan.

PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION

1. The Tamil Nadu government has declared tourism as an industry in 1992 and
accordingly various concessions and subsidies are offered for tourism projects
amusement complexes and also for buying air conditioned coaches. Measures have
been taken under the current tourism policy to provide for capital subsidy, sales tax
rebate, 50% concession on luxury tax, electricity concessions, etc. for new tourism
projects.

2. The Tourism Policy of Tamil Nadu has among other things, been to encourage private

sector participation and help them in establishing their projects in the state.

3. The state government considers that it is essential to provide adequate land for the
establishment of tourism projects. The Government has also been encouraging the
setting up of Hotels in the Private Sector by recommending deserving proposals to the
financial institutions for obtaining loan assistance. This will serve as great impetus to
the development of Tourism in the State.

4. Since the declaration of Tourism as an Industry in Tamil Nadu, this Department
provides capital subsidy for the purchase of generators in cities excluding Chennai,
Madurai and Coimbatore Corporations. This has been welcomed by the private sector
and as a result, new hotels have come up. In 1996-97 alone, a sum of Rs. 29.87 lakhs
has been distributed to six hotels by way of capital and generator subsidy.

5. It is essential that the tourists are provided with adequate accommodation. Therefore,
Government encourages private sector to start Hotels by recommending loan
applications of deserving entrepreneurs.

PUBLICITY

The Department of Tourism published a directory of hotels containing detailed information
about hotel accommodation in the State.

" 103

SiMtntiottd

If Tamil Nadu is to be projected as a tourist destination, it is essential to organise an
integrated publicity campaign bringing together all the publicity media. The special
features on Tamil Nadu tourism as well as the festivals of Tamil Nadu are brought out in
printed brochures both in black and white and in colour transparencies. These are printed
both in India and abroad. They are also published in the tourism related journals and
dailies, which attract both domestic and foreign tourists in a great measure. The special
tourist features abounding in Tamil Nadu, the festivals as well as various facilities are
printed in colour in the form of posters, maps, etc. and distributed through the Tourist
Offices, Tourist Information Centres, Government of India Tourist Offices in India and
abroad and through Air India Offices.

In the process of publicity, information is disseminated by organising seminars,
discussions, and debates on tourism. The Pacific Asia Travel Association, Indian
Association of Tour Operators and Indian Tourist Organisation serve as potential outlets
for the propagation of salient features and facilities of tourism offered by the department.
Publicity compaigns are also held in all towns in which travel agents and journalists are
invited and direct information about Tamil nadu is conveyed. This helps domestic tourists
to be attracted to Tamil Nadu in large numbers.

Last year, publicity promotion campaigns were organised in Agra, Ahmedabad, Bangalore,
Hyderabad, Mumbai, Goa, etc.

It is also proposed to spreadinformationabouttourismthroughinternetin this computerera.

TAMIL NADU TOURIST FESTIVALS

Music, Dance and Drama form an integral part of the Tamil society. Bharathanatyam has
been in existence for centuries together with all its verve and colour. In order to promote
cultural tourism in Tamil Nadu, the following festivals are organised.

1. Dance festival at Mamallapuram

2. Summer festival at Udhagamandalam and in other hill stations.

3. Tea and Tourism festival at Udhagamandalam

4. Natyanjali festival at Chidambaram.

5. Chithirai festival at Madurai.

6. Pongal festival at important tourist centres of India.

7. Mango festival at Krishnagiri.

8. Saral festival at Courtallam.

Out of the range of festivals organised by the department, the first five festivals are
celebrated with the financial assistance of the Government of India. In addition to these
festivals, this Department also participates in the Thiyagaraja Music Festival in

Thiruvaiyaru and the "Cape Festival" at Kanniyakumari.

— _ .

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TOURISM REGULATION ACT

In order to regulate and develop tourism in the state, it is proposed to enact suitable
legislation. This will also help protect the interest and safety of Tourists. This would also
enable preventing the tourist lodge operators, travel agents, guides and dealers in
handicraft goods from committing any act detrimental to tourism. The Government has
under its consideration a piece of legislation on similar lines as already enacted by States
like Himachal Pradesh, Jammu-Kashmir, Goa, etc.

FOOD CRAFT INSTITUTE - HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

The Food Craft Institute at Thuvakudy on the Trichy-Thanjavur Highway has been
functioning under the Department of Tourism. As a self financing institution, it offers 3
year Diploma Course since 1994-95. It offers 3 year diploma in Hotel Management and
Catering Technology. In addition, one year full time certificate courses are also offered in
the following disciplines:-

(i) Hotel Reception, Book keeping and House keeping.

(ii) Restaurant and Counter Service

(iii) Bakery and Confectionery

(iv) Food production

(v) Housekeeping.

This Institute receives recurring grant every year from the state government. This year
also, the institute will get a grant of Rs. 12.00 Lakhs.

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ASSISTED SCHEMES

A. Schemes under implementation

(Rs. in lakhs)

1 . Wayside facilities, Sriperumbudur:

(2 rooms with restaurant) 22. 1 6

2. Tourist Lodge, Virudunagar

(10 rooms with restaurant) 28.78

3. Tourist Complex, Salem

(20 rooms with restaurant and Tourist Office) 38.00

4. Tourist Lodge, Namakkal

( 1 6 rooms with restaurant) 23.25

105

S^wUamA

5. Tourist Lodge, Courtallam

(14 rooms with restaurant) 40.00

6. Expansion of Tourist Complex, Krishnagiri

(14 rooms with Conference Hall) 17.00

7. Tourist Complex, Tirunelveli

( 14 rooms with restaurant and Tourist Office) 47.00

8. Tourist Lodge, Pudukkottai

(9 rooms with restaurant) 1 9.00

9. Yatriniwas at Rameswaram ( 1 5 rooms) 44.78
B. Schemes which will be commenced during 1997-98.

(Rs. in lakhs)

1. Tourist Cottages at Kodaikanal ( 8 rooms) 30.40

2. Yatriniwas at Samayapuram / Srirangam

(12 rooms with restaurant) 46.00

3. Tourist Reception Centre, Tranquebar (4 rooms) 29.49

4. Tourist Lodge, Villupuram (8 rooms with restaurant) 18.78

5. Tourist Reception Centre, Thanjavur

(8 rooms and Tourist Office) 13.00

6. Yatriniwas, Thiruvannamalai

(9 rooms with restaurant) 39.10

7. Tourist Complex at Kanchipuram (6 rooms) 24.60

8. Cottages at Yercaud Hill station (6 rooms) 26.28

9. Beach Cottages at Tiruchendur (8 rooms) 26.28

10. Tourist Complex at House (6 rooms) 25.73

1 1. Tourist Complex at Vedanthangal (6 rooms) 25.36

1 2. Purchase of Boats for Ooty Lake 8.30

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The Government of India have sanctioned the following tourism promotion schemes
during the year 1996-97.

SI. Name of the Scheme Amount

No. (Rs in lakhs)

1 . Wayside facilities, Vattakkottai. 20.00

2. Wayside facilities, Perambalur. 20.00

3. Wayside facilities, Kodai Road. 20.00

4. Wayside facilities, Thiruthani. 20.00

5. View Tower, Kanniyakumari 30.00

6. Tourist facilities at Vellore Fort 40.00

7. Tourist facilities at Poompuhar Tourist complex 30.00

8. Purchase of Tourist Coaches 20.30

Total 200.30

Efforts will be taken to get funds for more projects during 1997-98.

DISTRICT EXCURSION CENTRE

District excursion centre scheme has been implemented by the Government with a view to
creating tourism awareness among the people and to make them more travel conscious.
Under this scheme two or three places of tourist importance are identified in each district
and basic amenities like drinking water, toilets, dress changing cubicles and electric lights
are provided. From 1983-84 to 1995-96 a sum of Rs. 67.50 lakhs has been spent for the
promotion of 18 district excursion centres.

POOMPUHAR TOURIST COMPLEX

Poompuhar is the mirror reflecting the civilisation of the ancient Tamils, their marine trade,
their hoary history and glory. It also depicts the height of Tamil culture. The seven storied
Art Gallery, Ilanji Mandram, Pavai Mandram and Nedungal Mandram in Poompuhar are
the replicas of the exquisite sculpture the Tamils can proudly boast of.

The following works have been started for a sum of Rs. 62.00 lakhs for the improvement
of Poompuhar Tourist Complex.

1 . Repairing and repainting of Art Galary, Kotrapandal and Tourist Lodge.

2. Improvement of Graden.

3. Providing New Electric Transformer

4. Floodlighting of Monuments.

107

5. Repairing of Sanku Cottage and providing of Air conditioners to the cottages.

6. Repairing of Circular Road, Beach Road and providing small culverts and cement road.

7. Repairing of pipe line and water supply facilities.

8. Construction of compound wall around Nedungal Mandram and construction of toilets

9. Purchase of generator and construction of generator room.

10. Repairing of Tourist Office and Quarters.

11. Construction of quarters for gardeners and watchmen.

12. Printing of posters and folders.

13. Construction of rubble mound sea-erosion wall around Ilanji Mandram.

VEERAPANDIA KATTABOMMAN MEMORIAL FORT,
PANCHALANKURICHI

The Memorial for the first freedom fighter Veerapandiya Kattabomman who bravely
challenged the British regime, constructed in 1974 at Panchalankurichi is maintained by
the Tourism Department. Though the old Fort had been demolished during the British
rule, some remnants including the ancient Devi Jakkammal Temple are under the
supervision of the Archaeological Department. The Fort is now being renovated at a cost
of Rs. 24.00 Lakhs and the following reorganisation works are under progress.

1 . Water supply arrangement.

2. Landscaping and providing Children's Park along with play materials.

3. Provision of toilets,

4. Construction of ticket counter.

5. Barbed wire fencing.

6. Repairing and repainting of 6 ornamental arches.

7. Repairing of Rest House with car parking facilities.

8. Other maintenance works.

9. Printing of posters and folders.

FOLLOWING WORKS SANCTIONED UNDER STATE FUNDS ARE UNDER
PROGRESS:

(Rs. in lakhs)

1 . Providing infrastructural facilities like
pedestrian walkway, public convenience,

watch tower, etc., at Hogenakkal. 10.50

2. Construction of rest house, toilets and

provision of lighting at Veedur Dam. 7.00

3. Development of Boat House at Courtallam 1 0.00

4. Tourist facilities at Mukkombu 1 0.00

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PART II SCHEMES FOR 1997-98

It is proposed to implement the following schemes under Part II.

SI. * Name of the Scheme Amount

No. (Rs in lakhs)

1 . Opening of Tourist Information

Centre at Bangalore 3.39

2. Opening of Tourist Information

Centre at Hyderabad 3.39

3 . Opening of Tourist Information

Centre at Tri vandrum Airport 3.39

TAMIL NADU TOURISM DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION LIMITED

Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation Limited was incorporated during 1971
with the blessings of the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. It was started with the
objectives of promoting tourist places of interest. Tamil Nadu Tourism Development
Corporation made a modest beginning by taking over 5 Tourist Bungalows and operated
two coaches. It has made rapid strides since then and it has earned the proud distinction of
owning a chain of hotels numbering 33. Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation
has at present established the following amenities.

1. Hotels 33

2. Youth Hostels (intended for budget Tourists) 8

3. Boat Houses 7

4. Restaurants 3

5. Telescope House 4

6. Mobile Restaurant 2

7. Snack Bar 2

8. Garden 3

9. Tourist Service Centre (Petrol bunk) 1

The Youth Hostels have been established mainly with the objectives of promoting low
budget tourism wherein dormitory accommodation is provided to the tourists at a very
nominal rate.

STEPS TAKEN DURING THE YEAR 1996-97

1 . The Transport Division has been facing a lot of difficulties, operating with old worn out
coaches in the past few years. Steps have been taken to replace 1 old and worn out

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virgin soils in the area, under the micro-climate provided by natural forest vegetation. Tea
and coffee estates expanded during this period from 1 8,75 km 2 to 47 km 2 , mainly in the
southern portion of the hills.

. It was also during this period that water resources in the area began to be harnessed to
generate electricity. A series of dams and reservoirs was built, which significantly altered
the water regimes. This was to have important consequences for the ecology of the lower
hills. On the Nilgiri hills themselves, most of this activity was confined to the western
portion. The reservoir and dam-construction activity itself had major ecological
consequences. These areas had been relatively undisturbed and were the only remnants of
the original vegetation within the Nilgiri hills. They were penetrated with a network of
roads, and the influx of a large labour force led to the destruction of sholas around the
reservoirs. The Pykara Reservoir, built in 1932, has a waterspread of 4 km 2 and a
catchment area of 185 km 2 . This scheme linked up the northern streams of the Moyar
catchment; these had consequences for the Sigur plateau which will be discussed later.

The modern period is marked by a massive growth in communication networks; the
growth of non-agricultural labour settlements; the large-scale conversion of reserve forest
areas into forest plantations; a massive manipulation of the water regime by dams and
reservoirs; the conversion of agricultural and degraded lands into tea plantations; and the
degradation of the Nilgiri slopes into scrub vegetation. 20

The Kundah range, the last hinterland area without communication networks, was
suddenly opened up by roads for the development of hydro-electric schemes. Over 90 per
cent of the catchment of the Bhavani was bound with a network of reservoirs to generate
power. 21 . With it came settlements to provide labour and other services for their
construction and maintenance. 22 The series of dams built did not essentially change the
land use patterns on the hills, but they made many of the streams flowing southward and
eastward seasonal, which had consequences for land use on the lower hills.

With the impetus given by the National Forest Policy of 1952, large areas under the control
of the Forest Department were converted to plantations to provide raw material to industry.
Attempts were made to cover over 90 per cent of the grasslands into wattle and eucalyptus
plantations. These failed on the western fringes of the plateau because of frost and the fury
of the monsoon. In other areas, plantations became an industry and supported a large
immigrant labour force that encroached on government lands. Agriculture witnessed a
marginal expansion with attempts to settle Toda graziers. Because of the loss of tree cover
in the southern portions, soil fertility and the micro-climate had changed. Consequently,
many coffee plantations were replaced by the hardier tea plantations. Other areas degraded
into scrubland.

Nature, Culture, Imperialism Edited by David Arnold, Ramachandra Guha

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Map2. Landscape Changes 011 Ac Nflpri Plateau.

115

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Table 1 . World Production of Shrimp
(Thousands of Metric Tones)

YEAR

FARM RAISED

WILD - CAUGHT

TOTAL

1982

84

1,652

1,736

1983

143

1,683

1,826

1984

174

1,733

1,907

1985

213

1,906

2,119

1986

309

1,909

2,218

1987

551

1,733

2,284

1988

604

1,914

2,518

1989

614

1,832

2,446

1990

633

1,968

2,601

1991

690

2,118

2,808

1992

721

2,191

2,912

1993

610

2,100

2,710

It is obvious from the figures quoted above that farm - raised production of shrimp is of
very small quantity as compared to wild - caught. Even if some of the shrimp culture
farms which are polluting the environment are closed, the production of shrimp by
environmentally friendly techniques would not be affected and there may not be any loss
to the economy specially in view of the finding given by NEERI that the damage caused to
ecology and economics by the aquaculture farming is higher than the earnings from the
sale of coastal aquaculture produce. That may be the reason for the European and
American countries for not permitting their sea - coasts to be exploited for shrimp - culture
farming. The UN report shows that 809 of the farm - cultured - shrimp comes from the
developing countries of Asia.

We therefore, order and direct as under:

1. The Central Government shall constitute an authority under section 3(3) of the
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and shall confer on the said authority all the
powers necessary to protect the ecologically fragile coastal areas, sea shore, water front
and other coastal areas specifically to deal with the situation created by shrimp culture
industry in the coastal state, union territories. The authority shall be headed by a
retired judge of High Court, Other members with expertise in the field of aqua culture,
pollution control and environment shall confer on the said authority the powers to issue
directions under section of the Act and for taking measures with respect to the matters
referred to in clauses (v), (vi), (vii), (viii), (ix), (x) and (xii) or subsection (2) of section
3. The Central Government shall constitute the authority before January 15, 1997.

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2. The authority so constituted by the Central Government shall implement "the
precautionary procedure" and "the Polluter Pays" principles.

3. The shrimp culture industries / shrimp ponds are covered by the prohibition contained
in par. 2(1 ) of the CRZ Notification, No shrimp culture pond can be constructed or set
up within the coastal regulation zone as defined in the CRZ notification. This shall be
applicable to all seas, bays, estuaries, creeks, rivers and backwaters this direction shall
not apply to traditional and improved traditional types of technologies as defined in
Alagarsamy's report which are practised in the coastal low lying area.

4. All aqua culture industries/shrimp culture industries / shrimp culture ponds operating
/ set up in the coastal regulation zone as defined under the CRZ notification shall be
demolished and removed from the said area before March 3 1 st 1 997. We direct the
Superintendent of Police / Deputy Commissioner of Police and the District Magistrate
/ Collector of the area to enforce this direction and close / demolish all aquaculture
industries / shrimp culture industries / shrimp culture ponds on or before March 3 1
1997. A compliance report in this respect shall be filed in this court by these
authorities before April 15, 1997.

5. The farmers who are operating traditional and improved traditional systems of
aquaculture may adopt improved technology for increased production productivity and
return with prior approval of the 'authority' constituted by this order.

6. The agricultural lands, salt pan lands, mangroves, wet lands, forest lands, land for
village common purpose and the land meant for public purposes shall not be used /
converted for construction of shrimp culture ponds.

7. No aquaculture industries/shrimp culture industries/shrimp culture ponds shall be
constructed / set up within 1 000 meters of Chilika lake and Pulicat lake including bird
Sanctuaries namely Yadurapattu and Nelapattu.

8. Aquaculture industry/ Shrimp culture ponds already operating and functioning in the
said area of 1 000 meters shall be closed and demolished before March 31,1 997. We
direct the Superintendent of Police/ Deputy Commissioner of Police and the District
Magistrate / Collector of the area to enforce this direction and close/demolish
aquaculture industries/ shrimp culture industries, shrimp culture ponds on or before
March 1997. Compliance report in this respect shall be filed in this court by these
authorities before April 15, 1997.

9. Aquaculture industry / shrimp culture industry / shrimp ponds other than traditional and
improved traditional may be set up / constructed outside the coastal regulation zone as
defined by the CRZ notification and outside 1000 meter of Chilka and Pulicat lakes
with the prior approval of the authority as constituted by this court. Such industries

_ „ ^ 119

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which are already operating in the said areas shall obtain authorisation from the
"Authority" before April 30, 1997 failing which the industry concerned shall stop
functioning with effect from the said date. We further direct that any aquaculture
activity including intensive and semi-intensive activity which has the effect of causing
salinity of soil or the drinking water or wells and / or by the use or chemical feeds
increases shrimp or prawn production with consequently increases in sedimentation
which on putrefaction is a potential health hazard apart from causing siltation, turgidity
of water courses and estuaries with detrimental implication on local flora and fauna
shall not be allowed by the aforesaid authority.

10. Aquaculture industry/shrimp culture industry/ shrimp culture ponds which have been
functioning/operating within the coastal regulation zone as defined by CRZ
Notification and within 1000 meters from Chilka and Pulicat lakes shall be liable to
compensate the affected persons on the basis of the polluter pays principle.

1 1 . The authority shall with the help of expert opinion and after giving, opportunity to the
concerned polluters assess the loss to the ecology & environment of the affected areas
and shall be liable to compensate individuals / families who have suffered because of
the pollution and shall assess the compensation to be paid to the said individuals /
families. The authority shall further determine the compensation to be recovered from
the polluters as cost of reversing the damaged environment. The authority shall lay
down just and fair procedure for completing the exercise.

12. The authority shall compute the compensation under two heads namely for reversing
the ecology and for payment to the individuals. A statement showing the total amount
to be recovered, the names of the polluters for whom the amount is to be recovered, the
amount to be recovered from each polluter, the persons to when the compensation is to
be paid and the amount payable to each of them shall be forwarded to the Collector /
District Magistrate of the area concerned, the Collector / District Magistrate shall
recover the amount from the polluters, if necessary, as arrears of land revenue. He
shall disburse the compensation awarded by the authority to the affected persons /
families.

13. We further direct that any violation or non compliance of the directions of this court
shall attract the provisions of the contempt of Courts Act in addition.

14. The compensation amount recovered from the polluters shall be deposited under a
separate head called "Environment Protection Fund" and shall be utilised for
compensating the affected persons as identified by the authority and also for restoring
the damaged environment.

15. The authority in consultation with expert bodies like NEERI, Central Pollution

Control Board, respective State Pollution control boards shall frame scheme / schemes
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diverting the damage cause to ecology and environment by pollution in the world.
States / Union Territories. The scheme / schemes shall be executed by the respective
Governments / Union Territory Governments under the supervision of the Central
Government. The expenditure shall be met from the "Environment Protection Fund"
and from other sources, provided by the respective State Governments /.Union
Territory Governments and the Central Government.

1 6. The workmen employed in the shrimp culture industries which are to be closed in
terms of this order shall be deemed to have been retrenched with effect from April 30,
1997 provided they have been in continuous service as defined in Section 25B of the
industrial disputes act 1947 for not less than one year in the industry concerned before
the said date. There shall be paid compensation in terms of section 25 F Industrial
Disputes Act, 1947. These workmen shall be paid in addition six years wages as
additional compensation. The compensation shall be paid to the workmen before May
31, 1997. The gratuity amount payable to the workmen shall be paid in addition.

The Writ petition is allowed with costs. We quantify the cost as Rs. 1 ,40,000 (Rupees One
lakh and Forty Thousand to be paid by the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Orissa, Kerala,
Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal in actual shares of Rs. 2000/- each. The
amount of Rs. 1 ,40,000/- realised from the seven coastal states shall be paid to Mr. MC.
Mehta, Advocate who has appeared in this case throughout. We place on record our
appreciation for the assistance rendered by Mr. Mehta.

Kuldip Singh S.Sagir Ahmad

New Delhi
December 11, 1996

121

Equations

Equitable Tourism

Options

(EQUATIONS)

seek to situate the

tourism critique within

the overall
development debate.
Our activities include

documentation,
publications, research

and supporting

individuals and groups

involved in concerted

action on tourism

concerns.

Dossier on Tourism-Issues in
Tamilnadu

This dossier provides an overall

look into Tamilnadu and its

tourism activities. It debates on

the emerging conflicts with regard

to tourism and its infrastructural

needs, socio-cultural aspects,

economics and the politics of

tourism development.