BENGALURU: Apart from intensive foot patrolling to check forest fires, drones will also be used to keep a watch on the crowd visiting the Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary this festive season, Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre said on Friday.
During an interaction with forest officials, Khandre directed them to take all the required precautionary measures to ensure there are no forest fires this season. Noting that there is a high risk of forest fires after Ratha Saptami (a Hindu festival dedicated to the sun god), Khandre directed the officials to use drones and other measures to keep a watch on the paths through which devotees pass through the forest patch to visit the hillock shrine.
Forest officials will also have to maintain close coordination with the district administration which has been communicated about bearing the expenditure of the festivities in MM Hills.
Khandre stressed the need to form a team of forest personnel, home guards and locals to keep a watch on the pathways, assist devotees and to a vigil for untoward incidents. People from across the state, including Mandya, Mysuru, Ramanagara and Bengaluru, cross the River Cauvery to reach the forest and the hillock.