By K. Sakthivel
Coimbatore: The forest department has requested the climbers of the Coimbatore Velliangiri Mile to behave responsibly to protect the natural environment.
A large number of people not only from Coimbatore but also from various districts and states like Kerala and Karnataka come to climb Velliangiri Hill in Coimbatore every year. As it is a dense forest, the forest department gives permission to climb this hill only from the end of February to May. Before climbing, the forest department checks whether they are bringing plastic bottles, flammable materials, plastic covers etc. However, there is a situation where it is not possible to fully screen the mountaineers due to lack of manpower and overcrowding.
Due to this, many people carry snacks, beedis, cigarettes, matchsticks etc. in plastic covers. In this case, yesterday evening (Feb. 4) someone lit a cigarette and threw it away, causing a forest fire on the fourth hill. As soon as the forest department received the information, 30 forest personnel, fire prevention guards and tribal people were involved in extinguishing the forest fire. About 3 hectares of forest cover has been destroyed by the fire which broke out at dawn. The forest fire that broke out yesterday at 4 pm was completely extinguished at 4 am today (March 5) after a 12-hour struggle.
In this regard, the forest department said, “The devotees were not allowed to climb the mountain from yesterday evening till this morning due to the forest fire. As it was a weekend, people from outlying districts and states were waiting at the base. They were allowed in after the fire was put out. The forest department checks the goods brought by the devotees and sends them. Besides that, many people carry match boxes, plastic covers etc. Therefore, mountaineers should act responsibly to protect the natural cycle,” he said.