Express News Service
KOCHI: In the wake of the Meppadi incident, the place a girl vacationer staying in a tent erected by a non-public resort on the forest fringes was trampled to demise by a wild elephant, the forest division has determined to crackdown on unlawful actions and trespassing.
“We don’t have the jurisdiction to act against resorts located outside forest areas. However, we will direct them to ensure stringent safety measures and alert the administration about illegal activities. Besides, I have asked all divisional forest officers to restrict activities like unauthorised trekking in forest areas,” Chief Wildlife Warden Surendrakumar informed TNIE.
The division has taken notice of sure resorts and trekking teams which were wooing vacationers to forest fringes with affords like trekking and campfire, he stated. Such actions have been reported in Wayanad, Idukki and Ernakulam. Patrolling will likely be stepped up in these areas, he added.
“There was an incident of a resort providing tented accommodation to trekkers at Chokramudi area. We immediately took action against the violators. We also booked Dale Philip, a travel vlogger from Scotland, who entered the Munnar forest without permission. We are initiating action against the trekking group that took him there as well,” stated Munnar District Forest Officer (DFO) MVG Kannan.
Wayanad South DFO P Renjithkumar stated the division had issued a warning to the resort in Meppadi in regards to the danger concerned in providing tented lodging in an space frequented by wild elephants. “There are around 300 resorts in Wayanad located on the forest fringes. The district administration is planning to put up solar fencing and dig trenches to ensure the safety of tourists staying in tents,” he stated. We will provoke strict motion towards those that trespass into forest areas, he added.
“The forest department offers trekking with experienced guides and even provides insurance coverage for adventure tourists. Providing tented accommodation on forest fringes is risky as the ashes left behind by people setting up campfires attracts wild animals,” stated an officer.