Lakhs of Indians head to the hills in search of serenity, picturesque locations and an escape from the heat of the plains each year. As more Indians become more affluent with bigger disposable incomes, that number has swelled and tourism in the hills has grown exponentially. While this increased tourist interest in hills stations has brought employment and ‘development’ to these areas, we, the tourists are literally destroying our hills.
Uncontrolled, irresponsible construction
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There are small, unattractive hotels and guest houses tightly packed in the limited confines of any hill station to cater to the burgeoning demand. These usually ugly new constructions are so precariously perched on mountainsides that they appear to survive only on luck and a prayer.
Litter, garbage everywhere
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We Indians are arguably the worst litter-bugs. Everywhere we visit we leave behind discarded bottles, chips packets and all manner of garbage that the municipal corporations of the hills are ill-equipped to deal with or aren’t bothered about it.
Water shortage
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The influx of so many tourist means that our hills suffer a chronic shortage of water which in turn leads to a terrible plunder of natural water resources.
Invitation to avalanches, floods and disasters
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Narrow roads, inadequate safety measures, irresponsible construction and activities such as mining and clearing of forests increases the possibility of terrible natural calamities.
No regard for aesthetics
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Our hill stations used to be charming, serene and beautiful. They are now untidy, disorganised and congested, with absolutely no regard for tranquility or beauty.
Overcrowding
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There are throngs of noisy groups wherever you go: sunset point, echo point or suicide point. There are huge crowds at the remotest places and the inevitable mushrooming of trinket stores and cheap restaurants there.
Traffic jams
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Driving in the hills these days is not just stressful, it is dangerous. There are traffic jams, irresponsibly fast and opportunistic drivers and more, that simply takes the joy out of visiting the hills.
Pollution of all kinds
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We pollute the pristine mountain streams, the beautiful wooded hillsides and the quaint old towns with our smoke-belching vehicles, create noise pollution with our raucous shouts and blaring speakers and destroy the very serenity and beauty we had come to enjoy.
Deforestation and destruction of ecosystems
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The bare hillsides bear mute testimony to our insatiable appetite which destroys forests and causes untold damage to the fragile ecosystems of the mountains and its natural inhabitants.
Erosion of local cultures
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With the ever present demand for unimaginative, generic food, you will probably find Maggi and Paani Puri in the hills but you may be hard pressed to find a place where you can sample local cuisine. There is little of local culture and custom to be seen; the rapacious Indian tourist is destroying the very culture and the environment he wants to sample.
