Trekkers risk life by not adhering to advisories

BOX

Adventure gone wrong

–Akhil Chadha of Delhi mysteriously disappeared during the Hamta Pass trek on April 10, 2018, and his body was recovered on April 17.

–The body of a missing trekker, Aman Awasthi (23), of Delhi was found after a month in the Malana area on April 20, 2018.

—The body of a trekker from Maharashtra was found in Ming Thach near Grahan village of Parbati valley on October 3, 2018.

—Tamil Nadu’s Manoj Rathinam was found dead on the trekking route beyond Kheer Ganga in the Parbati valley on April 6, 2018.

— Justin Alexander Shetler (35) from the US, who had gone missing in Parbati valley on August 22, 2016, was never traced

Abhinav Vashisht

Kullu, January 28

Despite repeated warnings and advisories issued by the district administration to regulate trekking in various areas in Kullu, many enthusiasts risk their lives by leaving for trekking without proper equipment or without any trained guides. Sometimes, the revellers set out for trekking in adverse weather conditions. Many trekkers have lost their lives on various trek routes in Kullu district.

Many search and rescue teams have been formed by locals for stranded trekkers. Chappe Ram Negi, founder of Negi’s Himalayan Adventure Search Rescue and Investigation at Kasol, has been involved in many search and rescue operations in the area. Besides rescuing many people in the Parbati valley, he has helped in recovering as many as 50 bodies of missing trekkers and other tourists.

Three tourists who had gone for trekking in Hamta area near Manali were rescued safely by the police in the wee hours on January 27. Ayasha from Delhi and Kalol Mukherji of West Bengal were rescued after two days by the police from the Chanderkhani jungle near Malana village in the valley on June 4, 2019. A group of seven students from Sangrur district of Punjab, who had lost their way during a trekking expedition to the Chanderkhani peak, were rescued after three days with the help of a helicopter on March 13, 2016.

Negi said all tourists from Israel were equipped with GPS equipment and they could be tracked easily in case of any exigency. He said the equipment was provided by their insurance companies which were returned by tourists when their visit ended. He said such a system could be developed here as well to ensure the safety of trekkers. He said only registered trained guides should be allowed for trekking expeditions and police should be informed before venturing for trekking.

Two Austrian trekkers were rescued as they activated the SOS (Save Our Souls) system provided by the local travel company, due to which distress signal was sent directly to their Embassy at Delhi, after getting lost in the forest during a trekking expedition in the GHNP region in Banjar subdivision on June 30, 2016.

The Kullu district administration had launched a website with the state-of-the-art Geo Tracking application on August 22, 2017 to find and rescue stranded tourists or trekkers. However, the plans of the administration could not fructify and the website was never put to use.