An online ticket booking portal to allow people to purchase tickets for all trekking paths across Karnataka will be launched on October 3.
Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre will launch the portal, which will allow people to purchase tickets for all trekking paths across Karnataka from a single website.
In the wake of thousands of trekkers visiting Kumara Parvatha in Pushpagiri forest on January 26 and January 27, the government had imposed a temporary ban on trekking paths that do not have an online booking system.
On October 2, Mr Khandre announced that trekking activities, which were temporarily halted due to the overwhelming number of visitors to Kumara Parvatha on January 26 and 27, will resume from October 3.
“To regulate the number of trekkers, only a limited number will be allowed on trekking paths,” Mr Khandre said after participating in a walk for wildlife conservation, organised by the Forest Department as part of the 70th Wildlife Week, from Cubbon Park to Lalbagh.
Trekking in Karnataka
This year’s wildlife conservation theme is Coexistence with Wildlife.
The Minister also said that as the number of wild animals increases and forest areas continue to shrink, it has become essential for people living on the fringes to forests coexist with wildlife. While 33% of the land should ideally be covered by forests, in Karnataka the forest cover is only 22%.
Since assuming office, the Minister has cleared thousands of acres of forest land that had been encroached upon for years. Recently, 10,000 acres had been declared forest land, expanding the forest area in Karnataka.
Filmmaker Rishab Shetty, who participated in the walk, said his films carry messages of coexistence, and it is everyone’s responsibility to protect forests, their wealth, and wildlife.
Published - October 02, 2024 12:04 pm IST
