Revelers trespass easily into Belagavi’s ‘forests of a lesser guard’

Belagavi forest officials have taken 18 youths who had trespassed into Bhimgad wildlife sanctuary and partied at Vajrapoha waterfalls into their custody on Monday. The youths had partied with loud music at the waterfalls on Sunday. 

The waterfalls is inside the protected area and access to it is denied as one has to trek nearly nine km into a thick forest area.

Wildlife activists claim that the Sunday party was not a one-off incident as there have been several such incidents since January this year, when youths gave the slip to forest officials, celebrated birthdays and lit campfires inside the forest.

Videos and pictures of these celebrations are being circulated widely on social media sites and WhatsApp groups.

The area is frequented by elephant herds and has a good population of sloth beers.

Such illegal entry into protected areas is not just a threat to human life, but also harms the forest (forest fire) and wildlife.

Last year, a youth lost his life after falling into the waterfall while trying to avoid being bitten by honey bees.

Locals question how such a large number of youths have been easily accessing the restricted area in spite of the presence of anti-poaching camps and regular patrolling.

“Vajrapoha waterfalls is nestled deep inside the protected area. One cannot access it without the permission of the forest officials. If such a large number of people are celebrating near the falls without the knowledge of forest officials, it speaks volumes about how our forests are being guarded,” said a local resident. 

With monsoon round the corner, activists fear that more such adventure seekers would venture into forest areas to witness the seasonal waterfalls such as Maan, Sada, Chikale, Chigula and Chorla. While a majority of these waterfalls are in the reserve forest area, Vajrapoha is within the Bhimgad wildlife sanctuary.

Deputy Conservator of Forests S K Kallolikar conceded that trespassing to the Vajrapoha waterfalls is on the rise. 

He said these youths might have slipped into the forest while the guards and officials were patrolling on the other side. “Yes, there has been an increase in the number of people illegally visiting the waterfalls. On Sunday, we took 18 youths into our custody and investigations are on how they got access to the waterfalls,” he said.

He said as a precautionary measure they would activate checkposts within the protected areas to make sure that no more trespassing occurs.

Range forest officers of Kanakumbi and Bhimgad deny that youths gained entry into their jurisdiction.

“We have anti-poaching camps and guards patrolling the area. It is highly impossible for anyone to gain entry from the Bhimgad side as the trek route to the waterfalls is very dense and treacherous. The youths might have gained entry from the other side,” said Bhimgad wildlife sanctuary RFO Mahesh Marennavar. He said they would increase vigil near the waterfalls henceforth.