WAYANAD LANDSLIDES

'Google' properties and resorts blamed for Wayanad havoc, but nobody knows how many

Kalpetta: It goes by the name ' Google property'. Reason: such homestays and resorts do not figure in official database. It pops-up on search engines only during peak seasons.

While unregulated tourism is being blamed for changing the land-use pattern and natural run-offs which eventually aggravated the landslide in Wayanad, the authorities are at a loss ascertaining even a definite number of authorised resorts and homestays in Wayanad, especially in Meppadi panchayat.

A glaring instance of a shoddy database is the presence of what officials term as Google properties. “Most of them operate only during the tourist season and can be located only with the help of Google Maps, as there are no boards and signs. However, they will have a profound digital presence with a website, tagged Google Maps location, e-mail ID, G-pay account, and WhatsApp contact number. Most of them are serviced villas or vacation bungalows constructed by NRIs, bureaucrats, businessmen and techies who work elsewhere but take pride in having one home in Wayanad,” an official who did not want to be named said.

In most of the facilities, there would be only one or two rooms, a kitchenette and a hall. “The problem is that these people are not aware of the ecological importance of certain spots on the hills and they would prefer the location only because of the serene ambience and scenic beauty,” he said.

Officially there are only 32 tourism properties registered under the Department of Tourism under various categories in the district. However, the Wayanad Tourism Organisation (WTO), the pioneering body of stakeholders in the district, says that the number would cross 3,000. Some resorts operate round-the-year with huge investments and high running costs and there are homestays attached to houses with minimal investment and less running cost. There are many serviced villas that anybody can operate from anywhere which is the latest trend, stakeholders said.

According to Prabhath D V, Deputy Director, Department of Tourism, Wayanad, the tourism department has no data as the licensing authority is the local body. Most of the officials of the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC), operating under the District Collector, said that the tourism department has no control over the sector. There were incidents in the past when tourists complained about the facilities in the properties, but no action was taken as there was no mechanism to penalise the properties.

However, as per the rule, any such facility should have the license of the respective local body, apart from that of the police and State Pollution Control Board. But there are many plantation groups, both big and small, that convert their labourers’ cottages and old bungalows into tourism properties that too without the consent or license of the panchayath or municipality, it was pointed out.

Meppadi panchayat president Babu K said that despite the efforts of the panchayat to bring the tourism sector under control, they are unable to rein in the industry. “There are many players who violate the system. Many plantations provide stay facilities without the proper license of the panchayat and many of them operate covertly and wind up by the end of the season. I am unable to count the number of tourism properties in my own ward as many of the resorts and ‘plantation stays’ are coming up in the jungle zones and many of them close down by the end of the season and resume again next season. The total licensed tourism properties in the panchayat would be more than 700,” he said.

Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi president N Badusha told Onmanorama that the district has more than 5000 tourism properties including resorts and homestays and most of them are nestled in ecologically fragile zones violating all norms.

The tourism industry players have been demanding the government for the last many years to bring out a foolproof master plan for the tourism sector of Wayanad. WTO secretary Shylesh C P said that such a master plan should have guidelines for architectural patterns to be adopted, type of construction, area of land that can be used, contour protection measures, employment to local people, treatment to nature and natural resources, carrying capacity of each village in the district and on the operational mechanism to be followed. “We should know how many properties are there in a village, their classification, land utilisation pattern of each property and how much area of land could be spared for tourism purposes in future in each such zone. Without assessing the carrying capacity of each region we will not be able to fix the total area that can be allotted for tourism and also the number of properties that could be constructed. Accurate and comprehensive data is essential for informed decision-making and strategic planning,” he said.