WHYS IS PONDY LOSING ITS CHARM?

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What once used to be a ‘green city’ and ‘The Paris of the South’ is now turning grey and is choking. Don’t take me wrong, I love travelling. I have been to a few places as a tourist, and I have always sensed a kind of hostility from the natives. I used to wonder why. But when I started being the native myself, I finally understood the reason. 


Tourism is a very important industry that helps my place thrive. Job opportunities for locals are blooming, and people are happy to welcome outsiders to enjoy our place, including me. But now, things have changed. The reason? Partly the government, and partly a few irresponsible visitors. 




1. The cheap alcohol gimmick

What once used to be our unique selling point has now become an overrated and unwanted attraction for the town. There’s a bar or liquor store every 100 meters, and that has put many lives at risk. It has turned several locals into alcoholics who do not know how to drink responsibly or socially, adding to the disease and socioeconomic burden. Empty bottles are often dumped on pathways to parks, between rocks on the beach, and randomly around corners. Also, nightlife has been booming because of this gimmick, and the noise pollution is causing major concerns. 


2. Where’s the peace?

I used to roam around the beach alone, or with friends and family, even after midnight for want of peace. The chill breeze hitting your face could heal any emotional wound. But now? The breeze has been replaced with fumes of smoke, and the pathways are blocked by drunken visitors who often pass vile and unwanted comments. It gets scary and unsafe to walk alone after dark, which I absolutely hate. 


3. Where will the localities go? 

People of Pondicherry love their town and love moving around. But we hardly find any place to go when it’s pre-weekend, weekend, or post-weekend—basically all the time. Since this is a small town, the popular spots get absolutely crammed, raising the humidity and making outings miserable. So the locals are often forced to travel out of town which is at least 3 hours away just to unwind.


4. The roads

The worst part of all is the worsening traffic. The government has not planned the road structure well, and with ongoing construction almost everywhere, roadblocks are tiring. Travelling just a kilometre can take up to 30 minutes. I have lived in Chennai and Bangalore, so I have learned to adjust to traffic but not when even a walkable distance makes you wait that long. The number of road traffic accidents and road rage incidents has doubled recently, partly due to this and partly because of drunken driving. I myself was almost hit by a drunken visitor once. 


So, if you are planning to visit Pondy soon, make note of this and kindly be mindful. We don’t hate tourists. But we absolutely abhor the ones who cause trouble and ruin our relationship with our town. 


This is a part of #BlogchatterHalfMarathon

#penbooksandscalpel

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