By Maheesha Mudugamuwa Concerns have now been raised over the uncontrolled, illegal hotel constructions mushrooming in Ella – the most popular tourist destination this year – with more than 700 hotels yet to be registered with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA). Ella Hotel Association (EHA) President Malith De Silva told The Sunday Morning that only around 20 hotels were operating in Ella several years ago, before it was transformed into a more prominent tourist destination. “But with the increase of tourist arrivals to the area, the number of hotels also increased gradually. Now there are around 829 hotels operating in Ella,” he said, adding that out of those hotels only about 100 hotels were registered with the SLTDA and operated with a proper license. The number of hotels operating in Ella had increased during a short period of time and most of these hotels were not constructed with necessary approvals from government authorities, he said. The association urged the Ministry of Tourism, SLTDA, and recently the Urban Development Authority (UDA) to control and regularise constructions in the area. Meanwhile, several unregistered hotel owners in Ella told The Sunday Morning that the local authority of the area and the Hotel Association were not providing approvals so as to obtain the license from the SLTDA. A hotel owner who did not want to be named alleged that it was the association which did not allow them to get registered. In response to the allegations made by the unregistered tourist hotel owners of the area, EHA President De Silva said approvals should either be given by the local authority or the UDA and there was no legal authority for the association to give them approvals. “There are incidents where the local authority is consulting the association to get its observations, but even if we are not satisfied with the construction of the hotel, the authorities have sometimes given its approvals,” he stressed. Those who have failed to obtain approvals had no proper wastewater management plan or other necessary approvals, De Silva stressed. According to the association, there should be a proper mechanism to monitor the construction of these hotels as it could pose a huge environmental threat to the area if not properly regulated. The association also requested the Government to limit the number of rooms in these hotels to about 20. Additionally, there should be a limitation for the number of floors that could be built and a complete prohibition on the construction of high rises in the area. Ella is a small town in the Badulla District of the Uva Province and is situated approximately 200 km east of Colombo. The area has rich biodiversity, dense with numerous varieties of flora and fauna. Ella is surrounded by hills covered with cloud forests and tea plantations. The town has a cooler climate than the surrounding lowlands due to its elevation. The Ella Gap allows views across the southern plains of the country. Even though Ella was situated near Bandarawela, which is a famous holiday destination among locals and foreigners, it gained huge publicity in the recent past and has now been transformed into a bustling tourist town, a mini Hikkaduwa of sorts. With increases in the number of tourist arrivals to Ella, the area has seen massive economic development. As a result, a number of non-residents tended to purchase lands in the area. Tourism experts claimed that even though Ella has seen huge development in the recent past, the authorities should focus on sustainable tourism in the area. Environmentalists have also raised concerns over the overexploitation of natural habitats in the area which could ultimately pose a huge threat to the future tourism potential of Ella. On the other hand, Ella is situated in Badulla which is highly vulnerable to landslides. National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) Human Settlements Planning and Training Division Director Kishan Sugathapala told The Sunday Morning that as Ella is highly vulnerable to landslides, NBRO approval was mandatory for all constructions in Ella. “Any type of construction needs to be approved by either the UDA or the Ella Pradeshiya Sabha, and when those two authorities seek to provide approval, they require the approval of the NBRO,” Sugathapala stressed. When contacted, a JVP member of the Ella Pradeshiya Sabha, Pubudu Gimhana alleged that the Pradeshiya Sabha (PS) was turning a blind eye to illegal constructions in the area, and some constructors did not care about the rules and regulations enforced by the PS. There were also incidents where approvals had been granted due to political influence, he stressed. The PS had not done anything for the development of Ella over the past few years, he alleged. Ella should be preserved as a destination while managing sustainable tourism, Gimhana said, adding that the damage caused to the environment by constructing illegal buildings in Ella couldn’t be recovered. He urged the Government to pay more attention to the area’s development and control irregular tourism and overexploitation immediately. Ellla an Urban Development Area The Government recently declared Ella an Urban Development Area which falls under the UDA. UDA Director General Eng. S.S.P. Rathnayake told The Sunday Morning that UDA approval was mandatory for any construction in an area of over 4,000 sq. ft. in Ella. All other constructions below 4,000 sq. ft. should be obtained from the local government he said, adding that the reason for declaring Ella an UDA-regulated area was due to the number of hotels that were being built in the area. A number of constructions have been conducted violating all regulations and without any approval from the local authority in Ella, Ratnayake stressed. An inspection team will be deployed to Ella within the next few months to inspect all illegal constructions. After the inspections, an advisory team would be deployed to advise on the irregular constructions, he added. When The Sunday Morning contacted Minister of Tourism John Amaratunga, he said that the SLTDA had already informed all hotels in Ella to get the Board’s registration. “There is a group that is being appointed to visit those unregistered hotels and direct them to register immediately. If they do not comply, the group will file action against those illegal constructions,” he added.