Ecotourism board's new chief for more trek routes in forests

Six months after he retired as Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, former Indian Forest Service officer Vinay Luthra has been appointed Chairman of Karnataka Ecotourism Development Board.

Luthra will be the chairman of the Board, while head of the state Forest department will be the member secretary. Luthra’s role will be limited to taking forward the Board’s policy decisions and come out with better plans to balance conservation and tourism.

Speaking to DH on Thursday, a day after assuming charge, Luthra said that this was not an official posting but something which the state government and the Forest department wanted him to handle.

“The first thing on my agenda is to open trekking routes in reserve forest patches of non-Western Ghats areas such as Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Dakshina Kannada and around Bengaluru. The aim is to restrict jeep safari and attract more youth to regulated trekking,” he said.

Soon, 30 short eco-trail routes of 5-10 kms will be introduced in the state. These trails will be independent of the proposed 270-km long Great Canara Trails from Jog Falls to Castle Rock (Dudhsagar). Work on starting the Great Canara trails will be hastened. Training for two batches of guides has started, he explained.

Luthra said that the Board wanted more youngsters to appreciate nature and, the aim was to introduce more walking, educational trekking routes and adventure sports, including water sports and rock climbing.

As many as 25 under-utilised forest camps will be used to accommodate trekkers. The Board is open to taking the help of experts, including those from  armed forces, for adventure sports. Since adventure sports will be outsourced, the search is on for the best and highly trained experts, he added.