Chikkamagaluru: A private event management company believed to be owned by the son of an influential person reportedly held a marathon with nearly 500 participants inside the Ettinabhuja chain reserve forest in Mudigere Taluk on Saturday.
Environmental activists are angry and demand legal proceedings against them for trespassing in forest areas.
The event management company is active on social media and has been promoting the event online for the past 15 days, after which 500 participants were selected for the marathon.
Villagers were shocked to see several vehicles parked by the side of the road on Friday evening. Environmentalists have tried to get information from forestry officials, but to no avail. They were told that the foresters had not given permission to any event management company.
Angered by the reckless response from the forestry department, Mudigere environmental activist Karthik Aditya Belgodu took the matter to the Taluk administration in Mudigere. He only got simple answers from officials who tried to downplay the problem.
Karthik Aditya told STOI: “Usually any event management company informs senior forestry officials before entering restricted areas. They may have obtained permission from their superiors because the owner of the organizing company is influential.
“When 500 people enter a virgin forest, we cannot imagine the impact on the ecosystem. What was the need to organize the marathon inside the protected area? ” he said. Each participant was charged Rs 3,500, he claimed.
“Today, many event management companies are invading the forests of Malnad, especially in Chikkamagaluru. If a simple nature enthusiast asks for an authorization to hike, the forest service refuses but authorizes influential people. This practice must be stopped, ”said environmentalist Ajay Kumar Sharma.
Chikkamagaluru deputy commissioner KN Ramesh told TOI that the district administration had not been informed of the event. “Information is being gathered to take the necessary action. We do not give any permission. The forestry department must regulate activities inside forest areas, ”he said.
Mudigere Kranti Division Deputy Forest Conservator said, “We have not given them permission to enter the forest areas. According to the information we got, they carried out an awareness campaign on the road and came back. ”
PIC: ChikkamagaluruEttinabuja 1: View of Ettinabhuja hill, photo posted by the event management company on Facebook
ChikkamagaluruEttinabuja 2: the marathon started on Saturday morning in the village of Byrapura under the hills
ChikkamagaluruEttinabuja 3: Hundreds of Marathon Participants
Environmental activists are angry and demand legal proceedings against them for trespassing in forest areas.
The event management company is active on social media and has been promoting the event online for the past 15 days, after which 500 participants were selected for the marathon.
Villagers were shocked to see several vehicles parked by the side of the road on Friday evening. Environmentalists have tried to get information from forestry officials, but to no avail. They were told that the foresters had not given permission to any event management company.
Angered by the reckless response from the forestry department, Mudigere environmental activist Karthik Aditya Belgodu took the matter to the Taluk administration in Mudigere. He only got simple answers from officials who tried to downplay the problem.
Karthik Aditya told STOI: “Usually any event management company informs senior forestry officials before entering restricted areas. They may have obtained permission from their superiors because the owner of the organizing company is influential.
“When 500 people enter a virgin forest, we cannot imagine the impact on the ecosystem. What was the need to organize the marathon inside the protected area? ” he said. Each participant was charged Rs 3,500, he claimed.
“Today, many event management companies are invading the forests of Malnad, especially in Chikkamagaluru. If a simple nature enthusiast asks for an authorization to hike, the forest service refuses but authorizes influential people. This practice must be stopped, ”said environmentalist Ajay Kumar Sharma.
Chikkamagaluru deputy commissioner KN Ramesh told TOI that the district administration had not been informed of the event. “Information is being gathered to take the necessary action. We do not give any permission. The forestry department must regulate activities inside forest areas, ”he said.
Mudigere Kranti Division Deputy Forest Conservator said, “We have not given them permission to enter the forest areas. According to the information we got, they carried out an awareness campaign on the road and came back. ”
PIC: ChikkamagaluruEttinabuja 1: View of Ettinabhuja hill, photo posted by the event management company on Facebook
ChikkamagaluruEttinabuja 2: the marathon started on Saturday morning in the village of Byrapura under the hills
ChikkamagaluruEttinabuja 3: Hundreds of Marathon Participants
