As Malnad received a heavy downpour this monsoon, Linganamakki reservoir reached its brim by the second week of August. About 90,000 cusec water was discharged from Linganamakki reservoir and hence Jog Falls, located downstream, regained its resplendent beauty. River Sharavati flowed with great fury and tourists thronged the place to enjoy the exotic beauty of the place.

Jog evidenced record tourist inflow this monsoon. A majority of tourists who come to Jog make it a point to visit the temple of Chowdeshwari in Sigandur. In fact, Karur hobli where Sigandur is located, has turned into an island in the backwater of Linganamakki reservoir.

On August 24, Pooja (15), a student from Chitradurga, who was enjoying the beauty of Jog Falls from the hillock near British Bungalow, slipped accidentally into the falls and the body hasn’t been traced yet. On August 26, a woman and a child were critically injured in a stampede that happened in the launch that carries tourists to Sigandur.
Both the aforementioned incidents could have been avoided, had the authorities concerned exercised due precautions. Though both Jog and Sigandur are well-known tourist spots in their own right, the rush to these places was more so this year, as many breathtaking scenes in the Kannada blockbuster Mungaru Male were shot at the twin locales of Jog and Sigandur.

However, dirt and squalor greet visitors to Jog. Tourists will be left disappointed with the appaling infrastructure at Jog as even basic amenities like drinking water and toilets are not present in the place. Mayura Hotel, managed by the State Tourism Development Corporation, alone cannot cater to tourists numbering over 50,000, who visit the place during weekends.

Lack of civic awareness among tourists further aggravates the problem as cigarette butts, gutkha satchets, plastic covers and the like are seen strewn all over the place. In the absence of a specified parking slot, tourists park their vehicles by the side of the road in a haphazard manner, creating traffic problem. The Jog Development Authority, constituted by the State Government for the development of the place, has done precious little to prove its existence.

Like Jog, Sigandur too paints a dismal picture when it comes to amenities for tourists. Chowdeshwari or Sigandureshwari is one of the Shakti devatas of Malnad and attracts almost 50,000 devotees every week from places far and wide.

Launch is the only mode of transport for the residents of Karur hobli where people displaced due to Linganamakki project form a major chunk of the population. The Government collects a token fee for the launch service and the means of transportation for the displaced has now turned into a major tourist attraction.

Space for locals in the launch was fast shrinking as tourists used the same to carry their vehicles too, leading to several confrontations between the locals and tourists. Hence, the administration has now banned tourist vehicles in the launch and tourists visiting Sigandur are asked to leave their vehicles at Holebagilu itself.

Both Jog and Sigandur offer immense opportunities for tourism. In fact, profit from tourism in the twin locales can prove to be significant. Initiatives to upgrade infrastructure in these places will not only attract more tourists, but also boost income and employment generation activities.