Bhadra river that originates in Gangamoola in Kudremukh National Park is one of the main attractions on the Gangadikal trekking trail for which the Forest Department has provided online booking of tickets, among other trails in Chikkamagaluru district in Karnataka.
| Photo Credit: UMESH S SHETTIGAR
With a large number of complaints from individual trekking enthusiasts about online tokens getting exhausted within an hour of them being made available, the Forest Department of Karnataka is mulling over further streamlining the system to ensure a fair deal to every enthusiast.“For example, tickets for the famed Netravati trail in Kudremukh Wildlife Division are sold within an hour of opening,” said H. K. Ramesh, an enthusiast from Bengaluru.Ramesh accused tour operators in Karnataka, particularly in Bengaluru, of bulk booking trekking trails in fictitious names as soon as slots are made available. Up to 300 persons are allowed every day on each trekking trail being operated by the department. After getting the required number of tourists and their names, tour operators cancel the original booking and make a fresh booking with real names, he alleged.Limiting bookingsMangaluru Circle has the maximum trails (16) out of the 44 trails in Karnataka. V. Karikalan, Conservator of Forests, Mangaluru Circle, told The Hindu that the circle has told its Information Communication Technology (ICT) wing to further tweak the online booking system to prevent bulk booking of slots.Online bookings can be made through https://aranyavihaara.karnataka.gov.in. The online booking system was developed by the Centre for Smart Governance.
