Yelagiri Hills is slowly losing its old-world charm to rapid commercialisation. Its lush green cover is giving way to the deadweight of concrete structures and its natives are losing their livelihood. The fast-invading commercialisation has already eaten into hundreds of acres of cultivable land. With the district administration turning a blind eye to the exploitation of the hills, the future of Yelagiri and its villagers looks bleak.

The area has undergone a sea change in the past few years, leading to ecological degradation, displacement of local villagers and conversion of agriculture land into commercial land.
This destination became an instant hit due to its sparse population and proximity to the metropolitan cities – Chennai and Bangalore – especially after the completion of National Highway 46 which connects the two metros. The hills became a hot spot, not only for IT professionals, NRIs and politicians, but also for top level government officials to chill out during holidays.

Realtors and hoteliers began to cash in on the growing popularity of Yelagiri hills and persuaded farmers to let them convert a large portion of agriculture land into commercial plots. At present, there are 56 hotels of different classes and hundreds of small and medium resorts in Nilavoor, Athanavoor, Kottaiyur, Pallakaniyur and Mettukaniyur villages as per an Express Report.