Coonoor constituency needs a sustainable development model that protects environment, ensures livelihood

To the uninformed tourists who make their way up to Coonoor town from Mettupalayam, the sight of a free-flowing river at the town’s entry makes for an awe-inspiring view. “Especially during the rain, or in winter, the Coonoor River looks magnificent from a distance,” said N. Radha, a resident living near Gandhipuram in Coonoor.

However, the beauty of the river is just a mirage, as almost the entirety of the river’s course is polluted by sewage and waste that is dumped directly into the river without being treated, said S. Manogaran, president of the Coonoor Consumer Protection Association, who added that the river is emblematic of the failures of the town in being able to develop sustainably, despite witnessing massive growth over the last few decades.

“For years, residents have demanded that a sewage treatment plant be set up to treat the town’s waste water, which flows downstream and joins the Bhavani River,” said Mr. Manogaran, adding that the government has taken no steps to address this massive hazard that imperils the health and safety of the lakhs of residents both in Coonoor as well as in districts further downstream.

T.A. Jabarathnam, former president of the Citizens Forum of Coonoor, said that as was the case is most parts of The Nilgiris, that there were very few job prospects for young people, leading to an exodus to other districts and states.

He said that while there needed to be a sustainable development model that protects the environment while also ensuring livelihood, that permissions for constructions and projects needed to be made more transparent. “Each construction needs a number of permissions from government departments, and they invariably get stuck in various departments. There needs to be a more transparent system where the rules are clear and each stage of the approval process can be tracked by applicants,” he said, adding that there needed to be a clear nodal officer who could be approached for clarifications on the approvals and approval process. Mr. Jabarathnam also called for more libraries and skill development initiatives for youngsters to be implemented.

The Coonoor Consumer Protection has also called for encroachments in the town removed, arguing that illegal buildings and constructions are leading to huge traffic jams, affecting the everyday lives of local residents. They highlighted how such encroachments and illegal buildings lead to increased chances of flooding and disasters every year during the rain.

Coonoor also has a high population of people belonging to marginalised backgrounds, many of whom lack basic amenities, said R. Hariharan, a resident of Adhigaratty town panchayat. “These lack of facilities are even more apparent in villages populated by Dalit and Sri Lankan repatriate communities,” he said, highlighting how the village of Selvip Nagar still lacks footpaths and access to bus services. “The residents have to walk a minimum of three kilometers to catch a bus to Coonoor or Udhagamandalam,” he said, calling for attention to be given to villages of marginalised communities.

The developmental pressures of Coonoor have also severely impacted its wildlife, said Azad Kamil, from the Ongil Nature Trust. Mr. Kamil said that with Coonoor becoming a prime location for retirees to settle, especially businessmen and women, that large estates, that had previously been used by wildlife were being bought up and transformed either into fenced off bungalows, resorts and homestays, or were being converted into plots for sale.

“There has to be a plan to protect whatever is left of the few green pockets in Coonoor,” said Mr. Kamil.

The Coonoor constituency witnessed a close race during the last election, when the current chief whip of the State government, K. Ramachandran defeated the AIADMK’s D. Vinoth by just over 4,100 votes. Mr. Ramachandran has had a successful tenure as both Forest and Tourism Minister since his victory, but is not expected to contest the elections due to his advancing years. If previous elections are anything to go by, then the constituency is set for another close race this time around with the DMK and AIADMK set to battle it out once again. There are rumors that former Coonoor MLA, A. Shanthi Ramu may contest this year, bringing his experience to the race.