Porad villagers oppose resorts, homestays in their place

Madikeri: Villagers of Porad village in Ponnampet taluk have unanimously decided not to allow resorts or homestays in their village, reaffirming an earlier stand taken by the community. The decision was made at a special meeting of the gram sabha.Villagers said the move was a precautionary step, arguing that tourism would harm the village's social, cultural and environmental fabric. A copy of the resolution was submitted to Birunani gram panchayat interim president Ammathira Rajesh, PDO Prakash and Srimangala SI Ravindra, who visited the village.Villagers said they made a similar request around 15 years ago, asking authorities not to issue no-objection certificates for any resort or homestay in the village. Panchayat officials clarified that no such no-objection letter had been issued so far.Police and panchayat officials informed the tourism stakeholders that villagers were opposed to such projects and told them to stop tourism projects.Villagers said all original residents depend on agriculture and none rely on tourism for their livelihood. They alleged that people from outside the area recently began purchasing land in the village and setting up tourism ventures, prompting strong opposition from locals.According to the villagers, tourism has brought concerns including immoral activities, disturbance of peace, environmental degradation, waste accumulation, noise, water pollution, clashes between locals and tourists, drug supply, violation of religious sanctity, illegal activities and insecurity.They urged the gram panchayat not to issue any no-objection certificate and asked police to take suitable action. They said a river flows around the village and that their ancestors protected the local ecology, including three sacred groves. Villagers argued that the natural environment should not be damaged for tourism. They alleged that earth was being excavated with heavy machinery for a resort project, raising fears of landslides in the hilly region, and demanded immediate intervention by the gram panchayat and district administration.
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