When a trek turned into a nightmare

11 software engineers, who went to Savandurga without permission, rescued

The techies, who went to Savandurga in the night, lost their way. File Photo: K. Murali Kumar

An illegal trek turned into a nightmare for 11 software engineers who spent Saturday night at Savandurga, near here, after losing their way up the monolith.

The incident comes barely a few months after cases were filed against a group for venturing on a night trek in the area.

On Saturday night, the software engineers went up Savandurga, in Magadi taluk of Ramanagaram district, in the night without permission from the Department of Forests.

The software engineers, from States including, Kerala and Delhi, work in various reputed IT firms in Bengaluru.

Inclement weather, heavy rain

With inclement weather, including heavy rain, they lost their way.

One of them managed to call the police control room after which a team of police along with the Fire and Emergency Services personnel rushed to the area.

After a tense operation in darkness, the rescuers managed to track them down. The task was Herculean, considering that the forest range there spreads over 6,000 acres. “We had to use a public announcement system and flashlights to alert the group,” said a senior police officer.

The group was taken to Magadi police station on Sunday morning, where they were let off with a warning.

In May 2016, a group of seven persons were caught by Forest officials after they were found illegally in the forest area. Officials had filed cases under the Section 26 1(d) of Indian Forest Act, 1927 for trespassing. About Saturday’s case, however, Forest officials said they were not informed of either the trespassing or the rescue operations.

Common practise

With policing intensified at Skandagiri, also near Bengaluru, after similar incidents, Savandurga, touted to be Asia’s largest monolith, has become a popular destination for trekkers. Night trekking, however, remains illegal, while day treks can be undertaken only after permission from the Forest Department.

“Despite this, numerous people, especially from Bengaluru, venture to Savandurga for trekking in the night. Since the area is so vast, we cannot patrol it or effectively prevent people from entering,” said A.L. Dalesh, Range Forest Officer (Magadi).