Bengaluru: The Forest Department has issued an order temporarily banning public access to 11 major trekking trails under the jurisdiction of Kudremukh Wildlife Division.
As per the order issued by Deputy Conservator of Forests Shivaram Babu M (Kudremukh Wildlife Division, Karkala), this restriction has been imposed with effect from yesterday until further notice.
As summer is approaching, the ‘fire season’ is beginning in the jurisdiction of Kudremukh National Park, Someshwara and Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuaries. There is a risk of forest fire due to the abundance of dry leaves and grass in the forest. In this context, the Forest Department has temporarily closed some trekking trails keeping in mind the safety of trekkers.
Gangadikal Trek, Kudremukh Trek, Kurinjalu Trek, Valikunj Trek – S. K. Border, Walikunj Trek – Kerwashe, Narasimha Parvata – Kigga, Narasimha Parvata – Malandur, Kodachadri-Valur, Kodachadri – Hidlumane, Bandaje – Volambra, Netravati Trek have been temporarily banned.
The concerned officials have been instructed to give wide publicity to this and install notice boards. Also, the Deputy Conservator of Forests has said in his order that appropriate action will be taken by appointing guards in the areas where entry is prohibited.
Compared to other countries, forest fires are more often caused by humans in India. In previous years, many incidents have occurred intentionally or unknowingly by trekkers. These incidents have occurred despite comprehensive inspections, awareness programs and the appointment of guides. Therefore, this time the decision has been taken to ban trekking across the state before the onset of summer, said a forest department official who did not want to be named.
The ongoing census work is also another reason. The staff is engaged in the tiger census and human-wildlife conflict prevention work. In such a situation, it is difficult to deploy additional staff for trekking. Also, this time volunteers have not been added for the census work. Therefore, the public has been restricted from entering the forest, he said.
The State Forest Department is providing trekking opportunities in 37 places in 12 districts through the ‘Aranya Vihara’ portal. This portal was started with the aim of controlling the number of trekkers and preventing illegal activities. There are eight trekking routes in the Kudremukh division itself, and the Kudremukh and Netravati trekking areas are the most popular. On an average, more than 300 trekkers arrive here every day.
Trekking has not been closed in Virajpet, Madikeri and Bengaluru rural areas due to the greenery in some places. However, if the wind direction changes, these routes will also be closed, he said.
Forest officials are conducting site inspections in Ramanagara, Tumkur and Kolar districts to check the closure of trekking routes. Resorts and hotels have been warned not to take tourists into the forest without permission. Social media is being monitored to keep an eye on illegal trekking groups. Discussions are underway with the government to close trekking routes in buffer zones, he said.