I still remember the first time when I came to Mussoorie and I was shit scared like a kid. Not that I was scared of height or anything but it was the forthcoming military training at the ITBP academy that was giving me the goosebumps. It was almost four years ago. Not that long right, but so much seems to have changed in Mussoorie that it almost feels like a different eon now. In those days, the hill town was still okay in terms of vehicular pollution and density. One could still manage to breathe inviolate air and absorb the fragrance of virgin nature. There was space for foot soldiers to goof around, there were some parts of the hill still untouched and there was a bit of Mussoorie still left among all the clutter.
The recent walkathons through the hills have unfortunately been encounters devoid of serendipity. Whenever we have walked out of the campus during these weekends, we have only found boundless queues of vehicles with their engulfing auras of emissions. And with these vomiting chimneys coming from both sides, there would hardly be any space for the lesser mortals called pedestrians. From what I recall, this place used to be a heaven for walkers irrespective of the time and place. From what I see today, the word hell would not be an exaggeration.
The other day we walked all the way to Landour Cantt from the academy. Being acclimatized to the traffic till library point, we hoped for a better half on the Mall road. But only to our despair. The entire stretch till Picture Palace was full of vehicles driven by horn-y individuals trying to pierce the flood of people walking along the road. There are several other hill stations in India where the "Mall roads" have been made prohibited for vehicles to ensure that tourists get what they came for~ a peaceful walk overlooking a picturesque valley meanwhile you enjoy the local street cuisines. Perhaps it's time for Mussoorie to come on-board.
As you make the climb to Landour moving away from the plethora of hotels, you get to see what the place was originally like. Landour has the shades of old Mussoorie, the vintage stuff that perhaps attracted the British at the first place. But the plague of concrete looms large posing as a catastrophic contagion which soon might eclipse the serenity left in this part of the hill. At this moment, I recall the words of Agent Smith from the movie Matrix which sum up my feeling - " I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species and I realized that you're not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus."
Today we trekked to George Everest House from the Academy. The entire route is so scenic and the weather complimented it magically but all this is ruined to the core when you have a zillion honking vehicles speeding through showering packets of fast food and leaving behind dust storms with no regards to people walking. Sitting at the top of George Everest trail, I could see the clouds gushing past us, making us shiver in this summer, but on the other side we could also see the landfill like litter left behind by the tourists. On the way back, the traffic jam was so severe and mindless, that pedestrians had to climb the terrain besides to get past, there was literally no space on the road. Chaos in heaven, for crying out loud.
Unbridled tourism is almost devilish. We are ruining the landscape, screwing up the environment and the tourists are also not able to enjoy Mussoorie the way one should. Why not put a filter to regulate all this. The hills are a limited place with narrow roads having a certain capacity. We can have a check at the foothills of how many vehicles have entered and not allow further post a limit. A Green Tax can be imposed and the corpus raised can be used to keep Mussoorie pristine. We can promote on-foot tourism in terms of trails and treks which would minimize traffic congestion. Heavy fines on littering and unauthorized parking is something we urgently need here on the hills. Solutions are out there in front of us, it's time we buckle up and implement them. The Queen of Hills, Mussoorie, is perhaps choking. It's about time we act, to rescue and comfort, the Queen interrupted.
For reading more on IAS Diaries, CLICK HERE.
The recent walkathons through the hills have unfortunately been encounters devoid of serendipity. Whenever we have walked out of the campus during these weekends, we have only found boundless queues of vehicles with their engulfing auras of emissions. And with these vomiting chimneys coming from both sides, there would hardly be any space for the lesser mortals called pedestrians. From what I recall, this place used to be a heaven for walkers irrespective of the time and place. From what I see today, the word hell would not be an exaggeration.
The other day we walked all the way to Landour Cantt from the academy. Being acclimatized to the traffic till library point, we hoped for a better half on the Mall road. But only to our despair. The entire stretch till Picture Palace was full of vehicles driven by horn-y individuals trying to pierce the flood of people walking along the road. There are several other hill stations in India where the "Mall roads" have been made prohibited for vehicles to ensure that tourists get what they came for~ a peaceful walk overlooking a picturesque valley meanwhile you enjoy the local street cuisines. Perhaps it's time for Mussoorie to come on-board.
As you make the climb to Landour moving away from the plethora of hotels, you get to see what the place was originally like. Landour has the shades of old Mussoorie, the vintage stuff that perhaps attracted the British at the first place. But the plague of concrete looms large posing as a catastrophic contagion which soon might eclipse the serenity left in this part of the hill. At this moment, I recall the words of Agent Smith from the movie Matrix which sum up my feeling - " I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species and I realized that you're not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus."
Today we trekked to George Everest House from the Academy. The entire route is so scenic and the weather complimented it magically but all this is ruined to the core when you have a zillion honking vehicles speeding through showering packets of fast food and leaving behind dust storms with no regards to people walking. Sitting at the top of George Everest trail, I could see the clouds gushing past us, making us shiver in this summer, but on the other side we could also see the landfill like litter left behind by the tourists. On the way back, the traffic jam was so severe and mindless, that pedestrians had to climb the terrain besides to get past, there was literally no space on the road. Chaos in heaven, for crying out loud.
Unbridled tourism is almost devilish. We are ruining the landscape, screwing up the environment and the tourists are also not able to enjoy Mussoorie the way one should. Why not put a filter to regulate all this. The hills are a limited place with narrow roads having a certain capacity. We can have a check at the foothills of how many vehicles have entered and not allow further post a limit. A Green Tax can be imposed and the corpus raised can be used to keep Mussoorie pristine. We can promote on-foot tourism in terms of trails and treks which would minimize traffic congestion. Heavy fines on littering and unauthorized parking is something we urgently need here on the hills. Solutions are out there in front of us, it's time we buckle up and implement them. The Queen of Hills, Mussoorie, is perhaps choking. It's about time we act, to rescue and comfort, the Queen interrupted.
For reading more on IAS Diaries, CLICK HERE.
