Tamil Nadu Assembly election 2026: Ooty faces challenges in tourism and tea sectors

With The Nilgiris district, especially Udhagamandalam gearing up for the summer tourist season – a two month window where tourism into the district hits its yearly peak, R. Madhav Sharma, a tourist visiting from Bengaluru says he’s appalled at the lack of infrastructure for tourists in the district. “The town has inadequate car parking, no restroom facilities, rampant pollution and waste and price gouging. This is the first time I have visited Ooty, and will probably be our family’s last visit,” he said.

Many tourists like Mr. Sharma have begun to think twice about visiting the ‘Queen of Hill Stations’ over the last few years, citing urbanisation, increasing pollution, poor planning and lack of amenities for tourists.

“For most people from Kerala and Karnataka, who make up the majority of the visitors to The Nilgiris, it simply makes little sense to travel so many hundreds of kilometres for a sub-par experience, with many now preferring alternate hill stations in Kerala and Karnataka,” said the owner of a popular resort in The Nilgiris, who says that while bookings have not greatly reduced, fewer tourists have positive feedback from visiting The Nilgiris over the last few years.

“Even previously lesser-visited locations, such as Mudumalai and Gudalur now routinely have very high amounts of vehicular traffic, which most people visiting are trying to escape,” he added.

Udhagamandalam sitting MLA R. Ganesh
| Photo Credit:
M. Sathyamoorthy

Local residents, too, are feeling the impact of unrestricted, unregulated tourism in the district, says G. Janardhanan, president of the Ooty Public Awareness Association. Mr. Janardhanan said that poor garbage collection networks have turned many parts of Udhagamandalam town into open dumps. “These in turn attract cattle and livestock, and there has been nothing done to remedy this situation. It is especially egregious in the mornings, when all commercial establishments dump their waste onto the road. It is deeply unpleasant in a town where walking should be the primary mode of getting around,” said Mr. Janardhanan.

The blueprint that served Udhagamandalam and The Nilgiris so effectively for many years has eroded over time, said H. Thiagaraj, president of the Young Badaga Association. Mr. Thiagaraj said that years of intense pesticide use and over-exploitation among farmers has eroded the soil fertility. “This in turn is causing more illnesses and disease, particularly among children,” he said, also stating that people are migrating away from the hills in search of more opportunities.

“Young, educated people are leaving the hills as there are no opportunities for them, while tourism and tea cultivation is also witnessing a churn in fortunes,” he said, calling on the government to announce a minimum support price (MSP) for tea in The Nilgiris to stop farmers from having to sell off their lands for real-estate development.

“There needs to be an over-arching plan for holistic development, sustainable tourism and supporting livelihoods,” said Mr. Thiagaraj.

The elections in Ooty Assembly segment (108) are expected to be close-fought, as the sitting MLA, the Congress’ R. Ganesh, recording a come-from-behind victory in the last elections, pipping the BJP’s M. Bhojarajan by a little over 5,000 votes in 2021. Despite a number of key projects being undertaken since then, including the inauguration of the medical college and hospital, the renovation of the Ooty Market and also a new road to Udhagamandalam via Kattery, a close-fought campaign is expected.