OOTY: The citizens forum here and others concerned about the hill station’s tourism development have urged the government to take steps to establish a cable car facility in Ooty to further promote tourism in the hills with the aid of modern technology.

Stating that in this era of technological advancement, there is a need
to blend technology-oriented tourist attractions with the hill environs to make tourism more attractive, Mr. S.K.Selvaraj, founder of the Universal Affectionates’ Association, said that across the globe importance was being given to promote tourism in big way and it was time to bring attractions like a cable car to Ooty.

“There were talks in the past here about bringing in cable car facility.  But, unfortunately no one pursued the project with zest. Now, it is high time the tourism department should give a re-think on this project, to ensure that such cable car facility, which is a simple aerial transit system to ferry tourists for a short distance area covering about a couple of kilometers, was making its way in the hills to make it the new era tourism attraction in the hills. Doddabetta-Ketti Valley, Boat House and Pykara area are the best suitable places to launch cable car project to add more meaning to tourism development in the hills.  When such a facility is available in  Darjeeling hills in the north, it can be tried in Ooty,” he advocated.

Echoing the same sentiments, Mr.Rohit Jain, Past President of Citizens
Forum of Ooty said that laying the cable car facility in Ketti Valley
View point would enhance the tourism potential of that area.

“Ketti Valley is one of the largest valleys in Asia.  Aerial transport
through cable car in this area would be a boost and enable the tourists to enjoy the magnificent view of the valley as well as the hills and woods around.  Now, when India is proving to the world that it is second to none in either developing or possession of modern technology, the tourism department should take steps to establish cable car facility at the earliest, in the hills here” he said.

Battling the monstrous traffic certainly ranks as one of the top peeves for everyone in the city. But while you’re in the thick of all the fumes and honks, some things can make it almost bearable. Would you twiddle your thumbs hoping for miracle or use the time judiciously? We spoke to a bunch of young Bengalureans, and their responses to tackle the wait of city traffic need kudos, even if the BBMP does not!

“Being quite the multi-tasker that I am, I just can’t sit idle. And the saddest part is, I tend to waste a major chunk of my time on the jam-packed roads! But the misery wouldn’t end there – coming back home to a pile of chores deepens the mess.

So I started to carry vegetables to work, only to chop them every time I was stuck in a jam! And trust me, I’m a lot sorted for dinner as the arrangement helps me pace things better after a long day,” shares Priya Jain, an entrepreneur, who travels for about three hours daily.

Banking on a similar ideology to put ‘travel time’ to better use, Naaila Khan, a creative professional, takes the time to listen to beauty podcasts. “My job requires me to be adept with beauty trends, since I usually get round-the-clock queries on make-up. The time helps me brush my knowledge and be better equipped to handle clients,” she quips.

Ask her if the bustle makes her feel agitated and lose focus, and pat comes the reply, “Honestly, the noise can be a deterrent when you’re carefully listening to something. But, I feel it’s also the best time to learn things as you have all the time to listen and learn things in detail. I think traffic is the best time to listen to anything as you have the time to go back and re-play something over and over again.”

While a major chunk of folk decided on ways to use their time, a young student tells us how the time has opened up some of the life’s truths, we often tend to overlook. Vishnu Ramakrishnan, a 21-year-old engineering student from MVJ College of Engineering, stumbled upon a rather interesting observation during his commute.

“I was travelling in a BMTC, and was stuck at the Koramangala signal for a good 40 minutes. In a bid to while away time, I began to count the number of cars and occupants in them. And in a span of 10 minutes, I realised that there were about 76 cars that just had a driver in them! This reality hit me hard on how a lot of us are still oblivious to how massively they are contributing to the traffic menace,” he shares. “So, everytime I hangout with a friend, I make it a point that we all car pool or travel together,” he concedes.