No plan to permanently ban trekking: Kerala min

The forest fire in the Theni – Kolukkumalai region has forced the state government of Kerala to order a ban on all trekking activities in the state. State Forest Minister K Raju clarifies that the government has no plans to permanently shut down the eco-tourism activities in the state.

Following the forest fire at Theni in Tamil Nadu, there have been recent fire outbursts in Vazhachal and Pariyaram forest ranges in Thrissur and another one reported near Gavi. The tourism enthusiasts and the travel/tourism operators in the state were apprehensive about the ban on the trekking activities as they fear it will bring down the tourism inflow to the state.

The minister also said that the government has tied up with Central Forest Survey of India to have timely alerts on the mobile phones of senior officials in case any forest fire breaks out. “As a precautionary measure, monitoring cells have also been set up in all forest divisions. Strict action will be taken against tour operators who plan treks into the forest without the permission of the Forest Department,” said the minister. Around 30 hectares of forest cover was destroyed in the fire in Thrissur.