Bengaluru: Alarmed by back-to-back leopard attacks on pilgrims trekking to the famous Male Mahadeshwara temple atop MM Hills in Chamarajanagar district, including the recent killing of a 10-year-old boy from Bengaluru near the Nagamale hill shrine within the MM Hills wildlife sanctuary, the Karnataka govt Tuesday imposed strict restrictions and decided to permit the traditional 7-km hill climb only during the annual Shivaratri and Ugadi fairs. The govt has also suspended trekking in forest areas across Karnataka wherever there is movement of wildlife.Facing criticism from pilgrims and local residents over the rising number of wildlife attacks, forest minister Eshwar Khandre convened a high-level meeting with senior department officials and directed them to enforce stricter safety measures. “Pilgrims to MM Hills shall only be allowed during Shivaratri and Ugadi festivals, coinciding with the temple’s annual fairs, amid tight security by forest personnel. Other than these occasions, pilgrims should not be allowed to climb the hills spanning 7km distance,” he instructed officials.The minister also reviewed safety arrangements at the Nagamale shrine, located around 14km from MM Hills. As thousands of pilgrims undertake the forest trek to the shrine every year, Khandre ruled out unrestricted trekking through the full stretch. “All pilgrims will now be required to travel 11km by jeep from the MM Hills ticket counter, with trekking permitted only on the final 3-km rugged forest stretch leading to the shrine. All along this 3-km stretch, the department must deploy guides equipped with walkie-talkies and other emergency response equipment to respond to any kind of eventualities,” the minister said.Considering the dry deciduous forest landscape and dense vegetation surrounding the final trekking stretch, Khandre instructed officials to clear overgrown grass and bushes to create visibility lines to easily spot the movement of wild animals and take precautionary measures. He also directed officials to create awareness among devotees about the presence of wildlife such as leopards, elephants and tigers and encourage the use of bus services to reach the hill shrine.At the same time, the state govt extended the suspension of trekking activities to all forest areas across Karnataka where wildlife movement has been reported. While the Mysuru forest circle had already suspended trekking to the Nagamale shrine, chief wildlife warden Kumar Pushkar expanded the restriction to other wildlife-sensitive forest regions in the state.
