Courtallam’s agonising wait for better amenities continues

Courtallam awaits better tourist facilities as State Government delays comprehensive plan, leaving visitors frustrated with poor amenities.

Courtallam, which experiences huge influx of visitors during the season, between June and August, is still waiting for better tourist-friendly facilities as the State Government is yet to draw a comprehensive plan for improving these amenities.

 After looking like a ‘ghost town’ between mid-January and May, Courtallam overflows with tourists between June and August as the overflowing waterfalls attract thousands of visitors everyday. From November to mid-January, Ayyappa devotees visit this town on their way to Sabarimala.

 However, the poor tourist-friendly facilities created so far in this irk every visitor, especially newcomers. Right from enjoying a brief stay at affordable cost to hygienic food and from parking vehicles to accessing the waterfalls through crowded spaces during weekends are real challenges to the tourists. Even though the official machinery know these decades-old unresolved problems, no one including the public representatives have been ready to address it.

 Since the private contractors take on lease the unoccupied houses in Courtallam, they collect minimum rent of ₹4,000 per day for a house with two bedrooms and the tourists coming in small groups occupy these houses where they can cook whatever they want. However, this exorbitant rent, which is beyond the reach of the common man, can be paid only by the upper middle class families. Even though the government had built the Main Falls cottages for meeting the demand of the middle and lower middle class families, these badly maintained structures keep the tourists away.

 “When the previous AIADMK regime after the demise of Jayalalithaa announced in one of its Budget that these decades-old Main Falls cottages would be rebuilt, we believed that this promise would get translated into action. Unfortunately, no step has been taken to fulfill this promise till today thus leaving the people at the mercy of private contractors, costly hotels and private resorts here,” says an advertiser S. Balasubramanian of Tenkasi.

 When the widespread downpour in mid-December lashed the southern districts, a huge tree branch that was brought down from the hill by the flood smashed the hall, which was used by the women for changing dress after taking bath in the Main Falls. As the hall was badly damaged in the impact, it was razed down, considering the safety of the tourists. However, this changing hall is yet to be reconstructed forcing the women to look for some other place to change wet clothes.

 “Even though senior officials visited the damaged hall after the flood, no step has been taken. Since a few thousand women tourists take bath in the Main Falls everyday, the district administration should take steps for constructing the hall again at least before the next season,” said a trader running his shop near Sri Kutralanatha Swami Temple.