The Indian Institute of Management - Bangalore (IIM-B) and IIT- Madras would carry out studies required for fixing the carrying capacity of the ghat roads leading to the Nilgiris and Kodaikanal respectively.
The government was in agreement with the court’s view on fixing a cap on the number of vehicles and tourists who could be allowed to enter the hill stations.
It also wanted to assess the carrying capacity in tune with international best practices and by leveraging expert insights.
The definition of ‘tourism carrying capacity’ provided by the UNWTO underscores the importance of estimating carrying capacity under various parameters such as physical, economic, socio-cultural, biophysical and ecological capacities.