Medicinal herbs looted from C’magalur hills?
‘Herbs are being sold to tourists’
Environmental organisations have said that medicinal herbs are being openly looted from Mullaiahnagiri, Bababudangiri, Kemmangundi and Chandrdrona hill range.
A press release from environmental activist G Veeresh said that the plants from these hill have been in great demand from time immemorial and hence district administration and forest department should take steps to conserve the same.
Dattapeeta, Manikyadhara, Galikere and other hills have been the abode of medicinal herbs and off late there are several shops mushrooming in the area selling these medicinal herbs. The herbs are being sold to tourists who visit the hills.
“Along with valuable herbs, the vendors have been selling useless weeds too as medicinal herbs to tourists. However, the treasure of medicinal herbs in Chandradrona hills has been depleting,” he said and added that a racket has been functioning in the region to smuggle herbs to Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
He said that there are several people living suspiciously in the area who are not Kannadigas.
“Though the forest department is aware, it is not taking any action in this regard,” he said and ridiculed at the Western Ghats Task Force saying that the Task Force is only holding workshops on medicinal herbs, still blind to the existing under currents.
He said that if actions are not taken to prevent and preserve the herbs, the Chandradrona hills will soon be barren without herbs.
DH News Service
