Bengaluru: Days after a leopard killed a pilgrim at the foothills of Male Mahadeshwara Hills (MM Hills) in Chamarajanagar district, the forest department intensified surveillance in the area. Following the district administration’s decision to allow pilgrims to trek through forest routes between 7am and 4pm, forest minister Eshwar Khandre directed officials to deploy drone cameras to monitor pilgrim movement throughout the forest stretch.Reviewing the human–wildlife conflict situation at MM Hills ahead of the Shivarathri festival, the minister instructed officials to prioritise pilgrim safety. “Large numbers of devotees visit MM Hills during Shivarathri, Ugadi and Deepavali, and many of them trek through the forest as part of their ritual. This is the first such unfortunate incident. Hence, safety must be ensured by installing drone cameras along the trekking routes and alerting pilgrims about any wildlife movement,” he said.Acknowledging the severe staff shortage in the forest department, Khandre directed officials to deploy home guards and local volunteers under the supervision of forest guards and watchers along the trekking routes. He added that the additional expenditure for enhanced security arrangements could be met by the Sri Malai Mahadeshwaraswamy Kshethra Development Authority and asked officials to formally seek funds from the district administration.
