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Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Disappearing Hills

Once upon a time, Bangalore was surrounded by hills and greenery. The city has paid the price for progress and development by losing its natural environment.

As the construction industry picked up, demand for construction material skyrocketed, opening up business and economic opportunities to many. Sand Mafia and Stone Mafia developed.

Ponds, lakes and rivers around Bangalore, Kolar, Mysore have borne the brunt of Sand Mafia.
Stone Mafia seems to have taken over all the hills in the surrounding.

In 2005, when I trekked Chennagiri for the first time, there were no quarrying activities in the area. There was a beautiful hillock with an ancient temple, dolmen, and a mesmerizing stone pond. This hill, only 50 odd kilometers from Bangalore, and just behind famous Nandi Hill, was a very good one day trek & picnic spot.

When I trekked here again 4 years later, a part of the hill was gone. I could see the Silver Colored Rock Surface from far away glaring at me. I missed the 'complete' hill. The silver stain has been consistently increasing indicating the level of quarrying.

Industrialization and Urban migration led to rapid development of the city. As the City gained height in the form of SEZs, multistoried apartment  complexes, malls & high rises, the majestic hills around Bangalore shrunk. Carrying capacity of the city began to be stretched beyond limits.

Tier II and tier III cities have also picked up from the Tier I cities  and are preparing for their next big development wave. Both Information Technology & Real estate giants started owning very large parcels of real-estate everywhere, eating away into green belts, elephant corridors, forest lands, agricultural lands and even heritage cities.

Villas & apartments complexes constructions have reached the outskirts of smaller cities like Mysore, Bidadi & Mandya.
As a repercussion, the hills are diminishing into rubble around these smaller cities as well.

The pictures in this blog are from Kanakapura. Villagers remember the hill fondly. But only a faint memory remains. As we can see, the entire hill has been gorged out. Trucks and people look like tiny insects on the surface.

Sadahalli, Chikjala, Hunsemarana Halli beyond Yelahanka have lost most of their natural wealth. It is a sad sight at Hunsemarana Halli, as the naked blocks of rocks stand as proof to vandalism of nature.
It is noticed that quarrying is stopped intermittently & it resumes again very soon indicating lobbying influencing the moves.


Pandavapura Taluk is another place famous for quarries. The hills in the area are fast disappearing. Blasting the rocks by using dynamites create loud noise all through the night. New roads are being laid & older ones widened to accommodate lorries and connect them all the way to the quarries.

This kind of development is not possible without strategies well thought & cooperation of the governing officials who do not mind turning a blind eye to the blatant rape of the natural resources.

Who regulates the entire process? What are the requirements to get license to quarry the hills? How many hills are demarcated for quarrying and how many are marked for protection? How is the viability of the project measured? Who scrutinizes the entire process? Why isn't there governance and regulation in place? There are many questions that need answers urgently.

With the hope that honest officials will look into the case of disappearing hills and bring about a sustainable solution before the last of remaining hills cease to exist.

Roopa Sreedhar
9535278981

Pictures by Giridhar B G



 

Monday, September 14, 2015

HIMACHAL PRADESH DRIVING HOLIDAY 2015 (Manali to Shimla 18 Sep to 28 Sep 2015) - By Roopa Sreedhar (9535278981)

18 September 2015: 6:30 pm @ 36, Himachal Bhavan, Mandi House Delhi. The night journey to Manali in a semi sleeper VOLVO A/C. Simple Dinner awaits at Karnal. We hope to reach Manali by 10 am the next day. Here begins one of the most exotic journeys of India.

19 September 2015: We arrive at Manali by 10 am if there are no delays. After a sumptuous breakfast, we check in into the hotel booked for the day. A day tour of Manali takes us to the famous HADIMBA temple; allow us to stroll in the local markets and lose ourselves in the magic of this small hill town. We can capture in our memory the experience of eating local dish Shidu.

20 September 2015:: We leave for Chandratal Lake for night camping.  After a quick break at Beas Kund near Rohtag Pass, we stop at Batal to explore the unique landscape. A small Trek reveals the most beautiful Chandratal Lake.

21 September 2015:: . From Chandratal, we move on to explore Ki Monastery & reach Kibber Village. Exploring Kibber Village & a small trek  beyond the last motor-able village is on the agenda.

22 September 2015:: Mud Village of Pin Valley is our destination. We explore Kaza town on the way to the Reserved Forest & National Park.

23 September 2015:: We leave Pin Valley to explore the Spectacular Dhankar Monastery & then reach the World Heritage Site of TABO to settle down for the night.

24 September 2015:: A trip to Spiti is not complete without visiting the 650+ years old Monk at Ghiu. Here is the Magic of Himalayas. We explore Nako Lake on the way to Kalpa.

25 September 2015:: Chitkul is on the list. Sangla is chosen for night stay.

26 September 2015:: We leave from Chandratal Lake for night camping.  After a quick break at Beas Kund near Rohtag Pass, we stop at Batal to explore the unique landscape. A small Trek reveals the most beautiful Chandratal Lake.

27 September 2015:: We leave from Chandratal Lake for night camping.  After a quick break at Beas Kund near Rohtag Pass, we stop at Batal to explore the unique landscape. A small Trek reveals the most beautiful Chandratal Lake.
28 September 2015:: Bank in Delhi. End of Himalayan Drive 2015