Wayanad tragedy: Has real estate greed and dollar inflow for private ‘tourism’ spelled disaster?

Wayanad: The question many are posing now is whether the real estate greed and the ‘attraction’ of investments for tourism development has spelled the disaster in the picturesque Wayanad that had already witnessed similar such incidents in a lesser magnitude. The developments that transpired in the district that is widely attracted by tourists says that the Experts and residents of Wayanad says that the last two decades has witnessed a massive spurt in real estate development across the length and breadth of the state.

In the past 10 years, as per various agencies there has been a 40 percent increase in the construction of buildings, especially resorts and the homestays as compared to the previous 10 years prior to that. Shockingly, a majority of these resorts and homestays are built on the landslide-prone areas in various parts of Wayanad.

“The unscrupulous real estate development on hill tops that have steep elevations, degraded forests and constructions even next to river beds have led to a rise in casualties. Many homestays and resorts that got destroyed were located right on the banks of the river without providing any room for the river”, said N Badusha, Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samithi president.

The Rs 2000 crore proposed mega tunnel project, located just two kilometers away from the landslide site is a classic example where the government is prioritizing development and infrastructure projects over environmental concerns.

“There have been 15 resorts built in and around the landslide hit region in Meppady in the past 4 years. The Gadgil committee report in 2011 has clearly said that these are ESL zones. It is highly concerning that permissions are given for construction purposes in these areas”, said Saju Mon, environmental expert based in Kozhikode.

Sources from the real estate sector says that there has been huge demand for real estate growth in the sector as the region is a nation-wide attraction for tourists.

“In the past 4 years, hospitality and tourism industry have been showing more interest in Wayanad as there has been a 40 percent increase in domestic tourist arrival. This has led to a large number of homestays coming up in Bathery, Kalpatta and other parts. Sadly, most of these areas where highly ecologically sensitive regions”, said a builder to News9 under conditions of anonymity.

The southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday had expressed concern over unprecedented landslides that rocked Wayanad in Kerala claiming several lives and decided to take-up suo moto hearing.

The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) report submitted to Union environment ministry way back in 2011 had included Vythiri, Mananthavady and Sultan Bathery taluks in Wayanad in ‘ecologically sensitive zone (ESZ)-1’, which means that change in land use is not permitted from forest to non-forest uses or agricultural to non-agricultural. However, in most of these areas a large number of homestays and resorts have come up in the past 15 years. Even though the government has been taking action against illegally built resorts and homestays, such constructions continue to evolve in the region.