Greens concerned over pollution at Ballalarayana Durga

Environmentalists have expressed displeasure at tourists holding fire camps as per their whims and fancy at Ballalarayana Durga Reserve Forest.

The environmentalists alleged that tourists who visit the forest area during weekends stay there in tents and hold fire camps and throw liquor and plastic bottles in Ballarayana Durga, thus polluting nature.

It is a tragedy that at a time various organisations carry out cleanliness drives in forest area, few tourists are engaged in littering in the forest limits for fun, they opined.

Local residents and environmentalists said, “Tourists who visit cook inside the forest as well. In spite of them entering the forest illegally and engaging in illegal activities, the Forest Department is silent on the issue. The area comes under Mangaluru, Mudigere and Koppa range of the Forest Department. The officials are passing the buck to each other when a complaint is submitted on illegal activities to the officials.”

Mudigere Prathibimba Yuva Prathishtana head M V Sunil said that a cleanliness drive was conducted at Ballalarayana Durga recently.

The volunteers have collected five bags full of plastic waste and demanded action against tourists for polluting the forest areas.