By Bhamy V. Shenoy
The latest ‘great idea’ to promote tourism under the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) Scheme is to install stainless steel railings on both the sides of 1,008 steps leading to Chamundi Betta. In this background, there is a need to select projects undertaken or proposed to promote tourism during the last thirty years to grade on the best to worst. We can use criteria like environmental protection, tourist attraction, preserving the spiritual space, economic justification, preventing caving of the hills and preserving heritage. However, installation of the railings will require a separate classification. This is because it is comparable to Tughlakian idea of moving capital from Delhi to Daulatabad.
