The Tamil Nadu government informed the Madras High Court that the Indian Institute of Management – Bangalore (IIM-B) and the Indian Institute of Technology – Madras (IIT-M) will conduct studies to determine the carrying capacity of the ghat roads leading to the Nilgiris and Kodaikanal, respectively.
Advocate General P.S. Raman stated that both institutions have accepted the government’s request and have appointed professors to lead the studies. Professor Amar Sapra from IIM-B has indicated that it will take approximately a month to provide broad guidelines and six months to submit a final report after extensive data analysis. A meeting with Professor Sachin Gunte of IIT-M is scheduled for Monday.
The government aims to establish a carrying capacity in line with international best practices and expert insights. The definition of ‘tourism carrying capacity’ provided by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) emphasizes considering various parameters, including physical, economic, socio-cultural, biophysical, and ecological capacities. The 2020 guidelines framed by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change will serve as a framework for these studies.
The government has also engaged experts from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to conduct detailed studies for protected areas and reserve forests. The court directed the State to consider suggestions from amici curiae while studying the carrying capacity and include them in committee meetings. The court also instructed the government to implement interim arrangements to regulate the movement of vehicles and tourists in the hill stations during the tourist season, with a decision to be made on April 29.
