Hills And Dales

Spent the whole of yesterday, from 6AM to 11PM driving around in the Western Ghats in the region between Goa and Kohlapur.

If you look at the map you will notice that all the area in green is unpopulated. I have seen this elsewhere in the Western Ghats too – indeed, in the entire Konkan belt between Mumbai and Mangalore: that vast square miles are unpopulated.

There is thus tremendous potential to build entirely new "hill-stations", as Greenfield projects, entirely from scratch. These could be satellite towns for the primary cities, which will necessarily be port cities in a free trading environment.

We drove to Kohlapur via Amboli (advertised as a hill station) and returned via Gaganbavda. The drive in the morning was in rainy and foggy weather – and misty Amboli felt just like Darjeeling in the monsoon. The weather was clear when we returned and the spectacular view from Gaganbavda (just 60 kms from Kohlapur) was breathtaking – and you are talking to someone who has seen our mountains. From horizon to horizon stretched the hills, all unpopulated.

Kohlapur seemed like a wreck of a town – but underneath it all there lay a huge potential, for the surrounding landscape is simply beautiful, and the town itself is blessed with a huge lake. There are verdant hills all around. Babbling brooks and flowing rivers too. Once again, the emphasis must be on transportation – so good roads and fast trains all around the satellites can create room for a much needed "urban sprawl." If Kolhapuris do this now, they will escape the fate that befell Poona.

There are other big cities in the Western Ghats south of Kohlapur – like Belgaum and Dharwar. I intend to visit these too.

Must recommend the Hotel Pearl, that served up an excellent Mutton Kohlapuri.

Just two additional points:

First: All along, signboards were in Marathi. I could read the "Saavdhaan" but not much else. In an internationalized economy, signboards should be based on universal icons, not written texts.

Second: Used 35 km of a Golden Quadrilateral highway on the way there, and was charged 25 rupees toll. This is double taxation.