With several minor and major accidents being reported at adventure tourism and other recreational locales, including the latest incident in which a youth got trapped in a crevice of a steep hill at Malampuzha for almost two days, the demand is rife that a database of trained personnel in the State is readied to rush in with help.
There is also a call for enhanced cooperation among tourism, forest and other government agencies concerned in order to streamline such activities and to ensure that only licensed operators are permitted to organise treks and adventure activities.
Forests Minister A.K. Saseendran said crisis situations like the one at Malampuzha could be averted if trekkers registered their names with the agencies concerned, like the Department of Forests. “There are plenty of hilly and forest locales where the department is working in tandem with Kerala Tourism, Kerala Tourism Development Corporation and others, to regulate visitors. On their part, it is ideal if organisers of treks obtain a licence from the agency concerned,” he said.
Sources in the department said a guide accompanied trekkers, especially on famous trails like the one through Agasthyarkoodam, the second highest peak in south India that stands tall at 1,868 metres, located about 70 km from Thiruvananthapuram. The Forest Department has trained members of the tribal community in taking nature, tourism and adventure enthusiasts through deep-forest treks and camping expeditions in Thekkady and other locales.
On the operation to rescue the Malampuzha youth taking about two days, executive committee member of Kerala Adventure Tourism and Promotion Society (KATPS) Ravisankar K.V. said the fact that the Army too had to be called in, at a time when Kerala had professional mountaineers who had undergone training at Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and National Institute of Mountaineering, was in itself a cause for concern. “These professional mountaineers have lengthy ropes and gears which can be deployed in such situations, using which the youth could have been rescued on the first day itself,” he said.
What was found wanting was a database with details of trained personnel, certified institutions and equipment in each district. Their services could be availed to train disaster-relief, police, and fire and rescue service personnel as well, he added.
“Such untoward incidents could be prevented if fly-by-night operators were weeded out of the sector, including through mandatory licensing. The KATPS had readied safety guidelines in this regard five years ago,” said Mr. Ravisankar.
