A Goshale atop Chamundi Hill: NGO protests
By Bhamy V. Shenoy
A recent development on Chamundi Hill — establishing a ‘Goshale’ (cow shelter) on 1.475 acres of land behind the Dasoha Bhavan building by a private entity — has raised concerns.
Videos and photographs posted by NGOs on social media show levelling of vast ground, reportedly by felling trees and shrubs, exposing the indifference of authorities responsible for preserving Chamundi Hill’s ecological balance.
Regardless of whether trees were felled or the land is privately owned, no development should occur in an environmentally sensitive area like Chamundi Hill without proper environmental clearance. Being close to a reserve forest, the area demands special care to prevent unauthorised activities.
The pressing question is: When several authorities, including the Forest Department (to protect biodiversity and the reserve forest), the Chamundi Hill Gram Panchayat (to enforce building by-laws and environmental regulations), the newly-formed Sri Chamundeshwari Kshetra Development Authority (to maintain the Hill and its sacred structures and environs) and the District Administration headed by the Deputy Commissioner (to preserve the environment), exist, why has no one acted?
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