11 trekkers rescued from Savandurga

Eleven trekkers from Bengaluru were stranded at Savandurga Hill near Magadi for a few hours due to bad weather.

The incident could have been prevented had they not flouted  the forest department rules. As per Section 26 1(d) of the Indian Forest Act, any kind of trespassing, including trekking or climbing, is prohibited. Prior permission from the department is needed to undertake such trips.

The group had started the trek around 4 am on Sunday, but lost its way due to a heavy downpour, the police said.

When they realised they were lost, one of them alerted the control room and Magadi police set out in search of them. Around 6 am, a few of them were spotted coming down. The police helped the others to safety. A senior police officer said, “They were stuck for a couple of hours. Fortunately, no untoward incident took place. They claim they were misguided by a local woman, and the rain made it impossible to find the route. All of them have submitted a written statement.”

Speaking to DH, a senior forest department official said the 11 have been warned under the Karnataka Forest Act for trespassing in a forest area.

“There are no timings, people are prohibited all through the day. However, many people walk in, visit the temples and then start climbing. The forest department is constantly patrolling and warning the crowds. We are now putting barricades and boards to keep people at bay,” the official said.

The 11 are Balu, Sibin, Deepak, Shahrukh, Shashank, Rajesh, Sudarshan, Abhinav, Siddhanth, Chetan and Suchith.

Trekker’s version
Abhinav told DH he and five of his roommates decided to go trekking to Savandurga Hill. “Around 4 am, we reached the foothill and came across a few other trekkers. A woman approached us and said she would show us an easier route, if we paid her. We handed over Rs 100 and took the path she pointed out. However, there were no signboards and soon we realised we are on the wrong track.”

“We decided to head back, but it started raining and we did not know which way to go. It was dark and we decided to wait for sunrise. By around 6 am, the rain stopped and we started the climb down. That is when the police spotted us. We were not stranded, but were waiting for the rain to stop,” he added.

Similar incident
Three months ago, a team of techies had strayed into Savandurga for night trekking and were unable to find their way back. They were booked for trespassing under the Forest Conservation Act.