As we drove on the deserted streets of Kudremukh township, the transformation that the place had undergone was strikingly evident. Not a single soul was seen on the streets, which was earlier bustling with people. It was a scene straight from a horror movie, but the only difference being there were no ghosts!! Nature was in its full force to reclaim the town.
About Kudremukh town
A village called Malleswara existed in the remote part of western ghats in Karnataka. The area went through a dramatic transformation in the 1970s when KIOCL (Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited) started its mining operations in Kudremukh hills. The village was uprooted, and the company built the township to house its employees. It had all the necessary amenities – Roads, schools, playground, parks, etc. Having visited it during its peak period, I must say that the township was in par with any town in the western country!!
So, what happened later?
There was a lot of opposition from environmentalists on mining in Kudremukh. The place was in the ecologically sensitive western ghats, and thousands of hectares of grasslands and shola forests were used for mining. Bhadra river was filled with silts from mines. The company took over forests to build the township, pipelines and to construct roads. To be fair with KIOCL, they followed high-quality mining practices (Unlike Bellary miners), but they were unable to contain the damage to the environment. The demand for new hills for mining was growing!!
While Governments were least bothered about the destruction of forests and hills, environmentalists knocked the doors of Supreme Court. After a lot of struggles, the Supreme Court ordered to close down the mines in 2006. The employees were either relocated or given voluntary retirement. The company stopped maintaining the township. There were proposals to make it a resort town, but it did not fly. It was time for nature to take over the place.
My earlier visits
I first visited Kudremukh with my parents in 1995. The town looked straight out of heaven – well-laid roads, parks, playgrounds and calm atmosphere. Surrounded by hills, it looked like a model town to me at that time. I was too young (or ignorant) to understand the impact of mining on nature.
My next visit was in 2006 with Chaya. The court had already sealed the fate of the township, but the place was still alive with people. The infrastructure was intact, and we enjoyed the short time we spent in that place.
Kudremukh town Today (2021)
As we entered the town, we observed that the road turned from good to bad. The Police station, forest department building and a Kannada school were intact. As we drove further, we only saw deserted buildings and roads. A big building which was once a hospital looked like a ghost house!!
We drove through many roads in Kudremukh. The situation was the same everywhere. Except for KIOCL main buildings, the rest of the buildings were in a state of decay. The playground, basketball court, Schools, Banks, residential buildings and every other place was empty.
The biggest shock was in the garden. Known as “Nadanavana”, it was one of the most beautiful parks that I had seen. It took some time for us to search the place. But it was beyond recognition, and the only way to relate it to the park was the presence of Ashoka and Palm trees.
There were a handful of houses where people still left. The presence of vehicles and clothes on hanging ropes indicated some human presence. I think there is part of the skeleton workforce of the company.
Final words
I had seen many such ghost towns (Link here) and houses. The remains of my ancestral home could be seen in summer months when backwaters of Sharavathi recede. But, I had never seen those places when it was thriving, and hence it will not evoke the same emotions as the people who had seen the golden days. Kudremukh was the first town that I have seen in both times, and hence it was an unique experience.
Prashanth
Very well written Aravind
.
aravindgj
Thank you.
Sadananda Hegde
i use to visit Canara bank br every quarter durong90_96narration is quite good
aravindgj
🙂
Siddeshwar Prasad
an interesting post indeed. I’d seen Kudremukh mines in 1989 as a part of our industrial tour. we spent few hours at the place so never actually got to see the township. beautiful pictures and nice narration, gives a good idea of those times.
aravindgj
Thank you.
Janet MacKay Thompson
I lived in Kudremukh in 1979/1980. My dad had been transfered to India from Montréal to work at the mine, he was working for Canadian Met-Chem. It was quite an adjustment and culture shock for a 13 year old girl from Canada but I loved every minute of it. It’s very sad to see and learned that this beautiful town is not one anymore.
aravindgj
Thanks for your comment. Good to hear that you lived in Kudremukh and enjoyed your time there.
altaf
nice place
Joseph Coutinho
Need to visit once if not to a bustling town atleast to a ghost town
Purvash G
Just imagined your each and every words, nice narration.
Purvash G
Nice
Preethi
We lived in kudremukh for 4 years ..my father Manager of CANARA BANK..
It wad to see kudremukh like this ..
aravindgj
Agree. For people who stayed there before, it will be very emotional.
Dan
It was in the 80’s I visited Kudremukh. It was very beautiful thriving township. For nostalgia, I would like to go back. Thanks for the update.
aravindgj
Thanks for the comment.