On July 15, 2017, a 29-yearold trekker from Mumbai, hiking to Hamta pass in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu region collapsed. He was rushed to hospital but was declared brought dead. Another trekker from Mumbai died near Hamta pass on May 15, 2016. He had been complaining of a medical problem throughout the previous night. On August 4 last year, a trekker from Mumbai died between Pin Parvati pass and Bhawa pass. A 27-year-old government employee collapsed near Hamta pass on September 17 last year.Incidents like these have put the spotlight on the unregulated camping and trekking industry in the hill state. Government officials and environmentalists are pointing to two dangers – mushrooming of camping sites even in ecologically sensitive areas of the Himalayas and the unwarranted risks that tourists take by trekking up mountains when they don’t have the physical fitness for the arduous challenge.Himachal’s forest minister is even planning to crack down on what he sees as a menace. “Some of our forests are simply littered with illegal camping sites,” he told TOI recently. “Some of the trekking guides are also not registered or have the training to take tourists to difficult places. We plan to stop all this with some stringent measures we are working on.”The common element in such cases is people underestimating the mountains and trying to scale them without proper preparation, medical check-up and expert advice. Local tour operators and guides say companies send tourists in large groups, in which most people are unfit to trek. The idea of acclimatization before climbing to a higher altitude is alien to them.Many tourists who have never attempted a single day trek set off on challenging treks spanning multiple days. They do not wear trekking suits, shoes and gear and often start on the journey in jeans and shirts.“Last July, I was hired to guide a group of nearly 50 people on the Manali-Hamta pass on Spiti route. On the second day, many complained of headache, dizziness and stomachache. I had to bring them back to Manali. They told me they had no idea about steep climbing and were doing this for the first time. We call such people tourists, not trekkers,” Chuni Lal, a local guide said.He said tourists come to Manali by bus and go to base camp directly the same day. “This is suicide. They know nothing about altitude sickness and its consequences, which can be fatal. They are lured by attractive photos of wilderness, waterfalls, rivers, peaks, valleys and wildlife and generally book online. No one asks them if they are fit to trek and medically healthy.”Another tourist guide, Shera Thakur said a travel agent from Delhi put dozens of lives in danger last August when trekkers got stuck on the other side of a swollen nullah. “It was raining heavily. I was with a friend to supply ration to his campsite. Between Chhika and Hamta base, nearly 20 people were waving for help. They wanted to go back to Manali but were trapped because of the flooded nullah. We, along with a few other people, fixed a rope across the nullah and pulled them over one by one. We were surprised to learn that their guide was also their trip organizer and had never been to the area before.”Misguided tourists also cause damage by their disrespect or ignorance of the delicate ecosystem. According to local operators, tourists and operators dump garbage irresponsibly and damage forests. Piles of garbage, sometimes burnt or buried in the ground, can be seen in campsites in forest areas. Last year, the forest department fined a few camp owners and asked them to remove illegal camps.The government has received complaints from adventure tour operators in Himachal saying that unregistered tour operators from other states and cities are organizing illegal camps, particularly in Kullu. Shimla resident Naveen Thakur complained that unregistered operators from Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Uttarakhand and other states are organizing illegal camping and trekking on Pin Parvati pass, Hamta pass and Khirganga route. The tourism and civil aviation director has written to the Kullu deputy commissioner to look into the matter.

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