The article by Avay Shukla is deeply relevant for Kodagu in context and content. Vehicle-driven over tourism combined with a very loosely defined and controlled Home Stay business, puts exceptional pressure on the infrastructure, natural resources and discipline (read garbage, lack of respect for local sacred spots, sight seeing locations) within the district.
Unless the District Administration, and for that matter the State Government, works with the local residents to “manage” this serious challenge of over Tourism, the situation can spiral out of control as described by Avay Shukla.
All that is written is equally applicable, if not more, for Goa, Ooty, Kodaikanal and similar Hill Stations which can be ruined if no proper steps are taken to “manage and protect” the landscape, environment and critical resources. Expansion of roads to four lanes is distinctly avoidable. Equally the permit system and punitive fines will not work. Restricting vehicular traffic through innovative measures is critical. – CLN Newsdesk
The Deputy Commissioner Shimla announced last Tuesday that 300,000 vehicles had entered Shimla in the last two weeks due to the tourist rush. That is 15000 vehicles per day. Shimla has parking for just about 5000 vehicles, and if we assume that a tourist family/group stays for just two days, the daily parking requirement is for 30000 vehicles- six times what is available. (This does not include the locally registered vehicles numbering about 70000!)
The situation is no different in Dehradun, Nainital, Mussoorie, Manali, Dharamshala and other hill stations. And it’s getting worse every year.
The tourists, of course, suffer, stuck in jams for hours, sometimes for nights, without food, water or toilet facilities. Half their vacation time is spent on the roads. The real and continuing price, however, is paid by the permanent residents of these once quiet, idyllic, British-era towns, who are practically imprisoned in their houses for half the year, with no space left on the roads even for walking. I live near Mashobra, about 12 kms from Shimla for six months every year, and have decided to never, but NEVER, drive into Shimla during my stay here-there’s no telling if I’ll ever be able to make it back to my house!
States like Himachal and Uttarakhand bear the brunt of this vehicle-driven overtourism; their proximity to the northern states is their undoing, while Kashmir is spared the deluge because of its distance and the on-again, off-again security situation there.
The state governments should have foreseen this, with tourist numbers growing by 43% ( 2023 figure over the previous year),rising incomes, and the desperation of families to escape the heat and pollution of our deteriorating cities. But the govts never planned for this nightmare, content with collecting their GST and Luxury taxes. And when they did start making some plans, they were all the wrong ones.
The biggest planning blunder has been the construction of expensive, environmentally disastrous four-lane highways and expressways in the mountainous terrain of Himachal and Uttarakhand to reduce driving time and make access easier for tourists. This has led to an explosion in the number of vehicles coming to these destinations: before the Kalka-Shimla four-lane highway was built (it is still not complete) the average number of cars entering Shimla every day was about 4000 to 5000- it is now 15000 to 20000. And when these vehicles enter Shimla there is just no space for them to park. It’s even worse in Manali, with 25000 vehicles crossing the Atal tunnel (below Rohtang pass) every day during peak season. The state govt. is a silent spectator: it took the National Green Tribunal to impose a daily cap of 1500 vehicles for the Rohtang pass to prevent it from becoming another Karol Bagh, in more ways than one.
The Shimla and Manali mistake is now being repeated, with Mussoorie being the victim this time. A 26 km elevated expressway has been approved to connect Dehradun and Mussorie: we are told this shall reduce the driving time to just 26 minutes. This is a disaster in the making, even without the 17000 trees that will be felled and the 250 families who shall be displaced by the project. The Shimla/ Manali experience shows that the number of vehicles headed for Mussoorie shall triple or quadruple; what happens to them once they reach Mussoorie? The town has even less parking space than Shimla, and can barely accommodate those who come just to meet Ruskin Bond!
Bureaucracies are loath to think out of the box, and politicians are happy to sanction capital intensive projects like roads and multi-storeyed parkings to their favoured contractors. But this comfortable, parabiotic arrangement has to change: given the geology and terrain, one cannot keep “widening” roads and excavating more parking spaces indefinitely, and the limits have already been reached. What our mountain destinations need are fewer highways and more cable/ rope-ways- that way they can keep getting more tourists but fewer vehicles. A Dehradun-Mussoorie cable system would have served the purpose of the elevated highway, with no addition of vehicles, at one tenth of the elevated highway cost. It is to Himachal’s credit that it has seen the light and has approved four major rope-way projects: Parwanoo-Shimla, Dharamshala-McLeodganj, Manali-Rohtang, and Kullu-Bijli Mahadev. Many more are needed, including one from Parwanoo/Kalka to Kasauli.
The Union government too needs to play a role in curbing this vehicular overtourism. It should NEVER AGAIN approve a monstrosity like the Char Dham Highway which is effectively a death warrant for Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. It should put a hold on all four laning projects in these states (even at the risk of annoying Mr. Gadkari) and fast track central approvals and funding for ropeways. More flights should be started to these states- in Himachal currently all its four airports are being utilized at below 50% of their capacity.
More helicopter services should be introduced, and not just to religious places. Most important, the govt. should expand the skeletal rail network in all mountain states which have tourism potential, and not just for strategic reasons. In 75 years not an inch of rail line has been added to what the British left behind. This shall not only reduce the vehicular tsunamis in the mountains but shall also add an entirely novel experience for the visitors.
Harsh physical or fiscal barriers such as e-passes, capping numbers of vehicles entering a state or even excessive tolls or entry fees should be avoided as they cause inconvenience and will not serve the purpose in the long run. It is better to provide the tourist an attractive alternative to using his car rather than simply taxing him or embroiling him in red tape. The lazy solution is usually the worst. ( Though these tough measures will become inevitable if the numbers continue to expand at the present rate).
The vision should be: we welcome tourists, but not their cars.
(This piece was published in The Times of India on the 21st of June 2025 under the caption “Tourists Welcome, Not Their Cars.”)
Posted with permission from Mr. Avay Shukla. © Mr. Avay Shukla; Mr. Shukla is a retired IAS officer, a keen environmentalist and trekker. He has authored many books and regularly writes for various publications and websites on the environment, governance and social issues. His blog is – View from [Greater] Kailash. The blog can be viewed at avayshukla.blogpost.com.
Over tourism is going to be the bane of India – the way people are travelling across the country. We need some sort of systems for safety and waste management.
Could resorting to means of mass transportation such as railway be lesser of the two evils?
A railway line may do far more harm than good.
The construction of a railway line would require massive deforestation, earth-cutting, tunneling, and blasting. This irreversible ecological disruption could:
• Destroy wildlife habitats
• Fragment forest corridors vital for elephants, tigers, and leopards
• Trigger landslides and soil erosion in the already fragile terrain
The railway line would cut through elephant corridors and forest routes used by wildlife for generations. This will lead to:
• Animal deaths due to train collisions
• Disruption of migratory routes
• Increase in human-animal conflicts as animals stray into plantations and towns
• Wildlife does not recognize political boundaries or railway signals—fragmenting their territory only invites more tragic encounters.
Landslide-Prone Terrain
• Kodagu witnessed devastating landslides in 2018 and 2019 due to heavy rainfall and unscientific land use. Railways through “mud-compacted” hilly terrain necessitating cutting of slopes and laying tracks through unstable soils. This increases the risk of future landslides, posing dangers to both human life and infrastructure.
FINALLY – the hordes of passengers on trains will only magnify the proble of already out-of-control number of tourists don’t you think 🤔
TaleKaveri and Igguthappa, which have already metamorphosed or transmogrified from its original beautiful natural surroundings, will become a proper religious Yatra destination. Surely that is not what our ancestors would have wanted nor the next generation of Kodavas!
Avay Shukla’s article is a powerful and needy wake-up call about the crisis on overtourism in India’s fragile hilly regions. His insights apply strongly for Kodagu as well, where loosely regulated homestays and unchecked vehicle influx are threatening both the environment and the cultural sanctity of the beautiful place.
Would fully agree that building more roads or widening highways is a misguided “solution” that only adds up to more traffic and ecological damage. Instead, we need sustainable transport alternatives – most importantly better public transport options, as Mr Shukla suggests.
It’s also crucial that local communities should be actively involved in tourism management decisions. Top-down measures rarely work unless locals see the value in preserving their environment and heritage.
Overtourism isn’t a traffic problem in itself, it’s an existential threat to the identity and sustainability of these beautiful regions. Vision of welcoming tourists but not their Vehicles – this should indeed guide our future policies, not only for the Himalayas but for other destinations like Coonoor, Ooty, Kodaikanal, Yercaud, Munnar, Wayanad, Chikmagalur and Kodagu.
Governments at all levels must look beyond short term revenue and instead also protect these landscapes for generations to come. The idea is to leave the Planet as a better Place than we found it!
It’s time That the Centre grants greater autonomy to regions like Coorg that have unique cultural practices, fragile environment but a very attractive hill station, so that commercialization can be planned responsibly. No matter any buisness administration must permit only local inhabitants to lead in protecting Coorg’s fragile topography and rural economy. Responsible tourism is vital, as unchecked entry of big players from outside drives harmful commercialization and socio-economic imbalance.
It is clear as daylight that the roads cannot bear the load of the vehicular traffic – and it is only going to get worse. If one takes the flow of traffic over the weekends and holidays, there are probably upwards of 40,000 vehicles on Kodagu’s main roads. This is way beyond the load bearing capacity of these (intrinsically) centuries old road. Also lack of parking space leads to further nightmare.
The ghat sections should not be tampered for widening – the Mangalore road bears testimony to the continuing mudslide related problems. One has to take into account that the hillside terrain in much of Kodagu is “mud-compacted”. It is therefore not without reason that our ancestors built the AinManes and homes on land closer to the paddy fields, on level ground.
Grass root solutions have to be found. Perhaps arrangements need to be made for parking “visitors vehicles” on weekends and holidays on level ground near Kushalnagar. The Hotels and home-stays could make arrangements for picking up their guests. Better still would be to increase the flow of good luxury buses. Local vehicles could be provided “stickers”, as the entry permit system in hill stations like Ooty does not work.
The access to Mandalpatti is largely through local jeeps and vehicles. Fares should be fixed; safety should be ensured. This concept would benefit the local population and simultaneously reduce unwanted, irresponsible day tripping, garbage throwing tourists.
No such effort would work until there is proper co-operation and participation from local bodies – Panchayats, clansmen and the community at large. The District Administration’s job is not an envious one – but that’s what a larger than life expectation from the current DC can deliver!
I was 16 years old when I went to Simla. Some petty “Raja” had a “palace” there where he entertained friends. He wanted a band to provide a sense of what he considered style, I was a budding piano player, so there I was spending a mid-term three months with the band.
Simla was a pretty hill station. I recall walking on the Mall every day.
Sometimes we’d slip into the Cecil Hotel. Rai Bahadur M.S. Oberoi, founder of the Oberoi Group, began his legendary hospitality career here — initially as a clerk, before acquiring the hotel and eventually building a hospitality empire.
Apparently, Simla has been transformed from a gentle and genteel little town to a noisy and traffic jammed madhouse. Not unlike what has happened to Bangalore, once a city of 500,000 with 250 motorised vehicles that drew me to it as a home in 1995. Now bedlam personified, with 15 million living souls and more than 1,000,000 cars and autos and motorcycles and scooters on the roads.
An overtourism tsunami is swamping our Himalayan states, particularly HP and Uttarakhand, but the govts are clueless about how to tackle it.
PS: Did you notice I call that little town ‘Simla”? Never “Shimla”. For the same reason I will never call Bombay and Calcutta and Bangalore by the ridiculous new-fangled names that our ‘leaders’ have invented for them.
Never ending issue and it is only getting worse. It cannot be left only to the District Administration and Politicians to act – this blame game is a losing proposition.
The problem has to be tackled at a grass-roots level with deep involvement by the local people. Institutions like The Akhila Kodava Samaja and the several Kodava Samajas across Kodagu, Coorg Wildlife Society, Academic Institutions, Large Resorts – all stakeholders should raise their hands and tackle this major escalating problem.
Reading this article reminded me of something I read today:
“Bengaluru has lost 86% of its tree cover since 1973, Over 50,000 trees have been cut down in the last 15 years. Is the price of urban growth worth the cost of losing our city’s soul?” a man posted on social media site X on Saturday. Soon enough, it amassed over 16,000 views, with hundreds of likes and replies.
In many ways, over tourism will kill Kodagu. Of this vehicle driven tourism is the worst as the roads simply CANNOT take this load. The day tripper over-speeding Tempo Travellers are the worst – best termed as irresponsible tourism.
One hears that dozens of new Five Star Resorts have been cleared and they will most probably be built in ecological sensitive areas. How do they get cleared – what is the basis??
As concluded elsewhere, Is the price of growth in tourism worth the cost of losing our beloved Kodagu’s soul?
Avay Shukla’s article hits a raw nerve, especially for those of us in Kodagu. The parallels between Shimla and our own hill district are disturbingly clear—rampant tourism with minimal planning, unchecked homestay expansions, and an overwhelmed civic infrastructure. Unless local authorities wake up to the long-term consequences, the fragile ecology and unique heritage of Kodagu may soon be lost under the weight of convenience-driven policies.
Valid and correct observations. A well thought-out strategy is required and not a knee-jerk response as and when problems arise.
Each hill station has its own set of issues, but vehicle-driven over tourism is a major issue to be tackled everywhere.
I have been writing many times on over tourism and it’s damaging effects – the burden on our fragile infrastructure, the mountains of garbage left behind, and the sheer disrespect shown to our precious tourist spots. Yet, each season brings more homestays, more vehicles, more careless visitors, pushing our land closer to collapse. How long before we realise that unregulated tourism is not growth, but slow destruction?
If we don’t prioritize sustainable tourism practices and enforce strict regulations, we risk destroying the very beauty that draws visitors here.
The Nagarhole Tiger Reserve is facing tremendous pressure with vehicle traffic, especially on weekends, disrupting animal movement and creating an unhealthy environment. CWS is monitoring the situation, highlighting the impact of casual drives on wildlife. Maybe stricter regulations or guidelines are much needed to protect the reserve.
This is the impact on over tourism & vehicles travelling towards Wayanad! An on-line entry pass has to be introduced to restrict vehicular moments through the forest barring the local vehicles.
With the roads getting better, vehicular moments have increased simultaneous. We from CWS are alerting the forest dept to do what best they can to curtail heavy flow of vehicular moments during weekends.
Avay Shukla has hit the bullseye with his article on OVERTOURISM and irresponsible tourism. Well it’s more than 2 decades that many of us in KODAGU have been protesting against 4 laning of highways to kodagu sadly we failed to stop the 4 laning of highway from Kushalnagar to Madikeri which was the most most critical part of the stretch very fragile for 4 laning activity which also saw landslides very recently. Col. C.P. MUTHANNA was at the helm of preventing this 4 laning effort from KUSHALNAGAR TO MADIKERI which if at all were stopped could have tremendously reduced the vehicle burden to KODAGU which today we are witnessing. Yes this singularly has overburdened the District beyond it’s carrying capacity. Now that this is done the only way forward is to CURTAIL ENTRY OF VEHICLES BASED ON CARRYING CAPACITY OF THE DISTRICT WHERE ADVANCE ONLINE PASSES COULD BE ISSUED FOR A LIMITED NUMBER OF VEHICLES TO ENTER KODAGU. This probably is the only way to SAVE KODAGU FROM OVERBURDENED VEHICLE DRIVEN TOURISM