How was the Glass Bridge allowed in Kodagu?

Nestled in the lofty green mountains of western ghats of Karnataka in India,Kodagu district has long been a haven for nature lovers and those seeking tranquillity amidst lush landscape. Famous for its serene landscapes, world class coffee, majestic valleys and waterfalls Kodagu is a home for a small group of people and diverse wildlife. The tourism sector in Kodagu has already gained global recognition due to its stunning natural beauty. While the natural splendour of Kodagu has already enchanted tourists with its numerous view points, the glass bridge which was installed four months ago at Nandi hills, Hebbatageri on the road to Abbey falls and Mandalpatti in Madikeri is now facing a precarious situation. Following a landslide underneath the bridge the three supporting pillars of the bridge have become unstable exacerbated by heavy rains which further destabilised the hilly terrain. The location where the glass bridge stands is reportedly unsuitable for development and has been classified as a landslide prone area and a green belt zone. During the 2018 landslides the ground in this area cracked and was not safe for any of the constructions. Despite these concerns over ground stability, questions are now being raised regarding how permission was granted for the construction of the glass bridge. How was the safety certificate given without adequate precautions? No safety measures adopted, nothing was properly planned, and how was glass bridge permitted in landslide prone Kodagu without proper safety audit, endangering the lives of many? How does the glass bridge attract tourists in the landslide prone areas? Our Deputy Commissioner has now ordered the locking of the glass bridge. There is no clarity in the DCs order on the status of the glass bridge. Now the official who has given the permission in the fragile western ghats when landslides are fresh in our minds needs to give an explanation. It is a warning bell from our mother nature saying that get alert,or else I will destroy you completely. Forests destroyed, hills carved out to make wider roads. wetland converted into housing colonies. Our sacred temples remodelled to see more appalling to tourists, who have no regard for the sanctity of the place. For years we have been blind to the absence of rules and laws pertaining to land. The existing land laws are very ambiguous and do not support environmental protection. Mindless tourism development activities are happening. Land conversion is rampant. An international eco school was planned in Kodagu. For what? Destroyed number of trees. A movement against it is happening.  BBTC one of the oldest coffee plantations is getting converted in to tourists’ jungle in the name of eco-tourism. Concertising birth place of river Cauvery has lost its spiritual sanctity. One of the reasons for landslide few years ago is because of its natural flow of it was blocked. Tetra pack thrown by the tourists are killing our honey bees. Plastics and pet bottles are clogging all over Kodagu. Lessons never learnt even though we were warned many times. No one is powerful before nature, so limit your greed. Whatever you gave, I will pay back. Nature is a teacher with lots of patience and says “if you have not understood the lesson, I can repeat it again”. Despite of all warnings, people are building new luxury resorts all over the place, hill slopes etc with active support from local administration and local politicians. It is time to stand up and demand our governmentsto take action. As I write down, I hope we realise that we should respect and value our land and not let our greed and mindless need for development take over. As long as there is political interference these destructions continue to destroy Kodagu to a large extent. We now know we should not disturb our landscape. Thank you, nature, for taking your own course, perhaps no more “new glass bridge” will come up in Kodagu.  Huge investments gone under the rocks. LESSONS NEVER LEARNT. 

Kodandera Mamatha Subbaiah