Kerala politicians serve storm in Munnar tea cup

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the misty heights of Munnar's tea plantation-rich hill slopes, the serenity has just been broken with political posturing.

Nearly three years after the CPM-led Kerala government demolished resort buildings allegedly constructed on encroached land, Munnar's tourism industry is left to shudder again as the government and the opposition are pointing fingers at each other regarding the reasons for repeated encroachments in the region.

Following reports of more encroachments in Munnar, chief minister VS Achuthanandan has vowed "not to spare a single person" involved in encroachments and opposition leader Oommen Chandy made a dash to the hill station, challenging the government to act, rather than list out its plans.

Next in line to make a first-hand assessment of the goings-on in Munnar is a BJP team, scheduled to visit the destination on Saturday.

Munnar's tourism industry players who are still trying to put behind the bad memories of 2007 when large-scale demolition of resort buildings scared tourists away, followed by the global economic slowdown, the latest developments have created fresh apprehension.

"There is indeed anxiety among tourists and travel agents. We are getting calls from travel agents in Mumbai and Delhi, asking if everything is alright in Munnar", says Rajan Kumar an official of T&U, a 30-room property in Munnar. He says the situation has also prompted some travel agents to try and get a discount, in the backdrop of news about likely disruptions in the tourism sector in Munnar.

Another resort official, speaking on condition of anonymity, says it is not only the tourism sector in Munnar, but all of Idukki district that is being affected by the doubts cast over land deals in the district. "It is now virtually impossible to pledge your land for a bank loan", says he.

KC Chandrahasan, managing director of Kerala Travels, a leading travel sector player, feels the latest Munnar imbroglio is little more than a storm in a tea cup. "It is the latest complication in the mess that Munnar has turned out to be. The destination is mature enough to tide over the situation", says he.

But resort operators in Munnar are worried about the bad publicity being generated about the destination. And they are equally worried about the large-scale destruction of the immaculate hill slopes of Munnar. For the moment, though, ideology rather than ecology is ruling the Munnar mountains.