KURNOOL: Forest Department personnel earned praise during the Maha Shivaratri pilgrimage for rescuing exhausted devotees, reuniting lost children, and enforcing environmental protection along the Nallamala forest routes to Srisailam.
At Bhemanukulanu, staff carried an exhausted devotee from Anantapur to Kailasadwaram for medical treatment. In another case, they traced a missing boy and reunited him with his family. With lakhs of pilgrims expected, enforcement was intensified to safeguard the fragile Srisailam Nallamala Tiger Reserve (NSTR).
NSTR Deputy Director Vignesh Appavu reiterated the ban on single-use plastics. On February 2 and 4, forest staff seized tempos carrying more than 130,000 plastic plates and glasses. Officials warned plastics pose a serious threat to wildlife and ecology, urging shopkeepers, and hotel owners to adopt eco-friendly alternatives.
Devotees were advised to avoid plastic, remain alert to wildlife, protect their surroundings, and ensure children do not get separated. Appavu appealed for cooperation to make Srisailam a safe, plastic-free pilgrimage destination.