The government has said that there are 60 resorts in Munnar which are located in ecologically sensitive areas (ESA). This comes after an incident on Monday in which a rock fell over three vehicles parked near a resort in Pallivasal.

The vehicles were used for ferrying tourists and Pallivasal is located in an ESA, reports The Times of India. The resort is reportedly an illegal construction and its feared that if such constructions are allowed in the future, the hill station could witness environmental disasters such as landslides, revenue department sources said.

 “The instructions laid out in construction manuals were not followed while constructing resorts at Pallivasal, Chinnakanal and Pampadumchola. Most of them have 7-10 floors,“ said a top revenue official as per the report.

On Monday, the Assembly Committee on Environment submitted a report where it was recommended to demolish the buildings in Munnar which go beyond a specified height. As per reports, in January this year, a former SP of Idukki, A V George, had submitted a report to the government seeking to regulate the constructions in the region. Illegal land possession and construction of buildings have been rampant in Munnar, which is one of the major tourist centres in the state.

The government led by V S Achuthanandan in 2007 had formed a three-member team to demolish the illegal constructions, which was a partial success. A study conducted by Centre for Earth Sciences, some years ago, had also cited the repercussions of the construction that it would harm the ecological balance of the region.

It had marked the Ecologically Sensitive Areas in and around Munnar. The Assembly Committee on Environment in its first report mooted that Munnar, considering its ecological sensitivity, should be split into separate zones and separate rules should be applicable to each zone.