Under the mask of development, Nandi Hills lose

BANGALORE:  The state government had proposed to give Nandi Hills a facelift, and make it a major tourist attraction by providing infrastructure at the cost of Rs 16.60 crore last year. However, this ambitious plan is yet to see the light of the day.Nandi Hills, located at about 65 km from city, has nearly 2,000 tourists every day, which doubles up during weekends. Reportedly, majority of the tourists prefer day trip due to poor accommodation facilities. Although government’s assurance to upgrade the accommodation facilities had brought smiles on many faces, the development work taking snail pace has drained enthusiam among many tourists.The then Chikballapur district in-charge minister Shobha Karandlaje had said that a food court at the cost of Rs 15 lakh, an open air auditorium costing nearly Rs 83 lakh, a children play area at Rs 85 lakh and an artificial waterfalls at `1 crore would be constructed at the hill station, which has so far only remained void. She had stated that more cottages would come up and Gandhi Nilaya and Nehru Nilaya guest houses would get a new look. Parking facility for 300  cars and 150 two-wheelers was planned at the foot of the hill.The proposal that includes taking tourists atop the hill in eco-friendly vehicles,  telescopic view point, among other works has to speeden up. Until last year the Nandi Hills was under Horticulture Department and Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation.Earlier, tourists could book their stay at guest houses, but after this project was initiated, the department stopped providing accommodation to tourists. Now, they have neither upgraded the place nor are they providing accommodation. Srinath R, a techie from the city said, “Last year I had gone to Nandi Hills to celebrate my friend’s birthday. The authorities informed us that there was no accommodation facilities. I see no improvements in the place. It is disappointing that tourist places have no basic amenities,” Srinath said.An official at Nandi Hills said, “All the development works are taken up by the government without entrusting them with private agencies. Hence, the delay. The completion of the proposed project will take more than an year.”