Trichy: Forest department is planning to revive trekking activity on Patchamalai hills near Thuraiyur which was banned following the forest fire which claimed 20 lives on Kurangini hills. The ban had not only come as a disappointment for trekkers but also hit the revenue that the forest department netted by way of renting out the tree top houses.Following the fire, the forest department had issued orders directing officials across the state to suspend trekking activities until further orders. However, there seems to be a change of heart especially in the light of the recent rain that has ruled out any possibility of a forest fire. Asked on the possibilities of reviving trekking, district forest officer D Sujatha said that requests may be considered if approached by people visiting Patchamalai.Though water flow is yet to gain pace in the waterfalls inside Patchamalai, Sujatha said there was no chance of forest fire happening on the hills now. The forest department has identified four trekking routes through some of the scenic allocations in the forest that cut through three water falls. “Full-fledged trekking activities may only be revived after an official communication from the state government,” she said adding that people who came to Patchamalai to stay in the tree-top houses owned and maintained by the department could travel a certain distance into the forest.“Revival of trekking activities will benefit the tribal community living in Patchamalai which falls under one of the undisturbed forests in the country,” said Thuraiyur MLA S Stalin Kumar adding that tourism development would make them financially stable and contribute to their upliftment. Eyeing more tourist flow during the end of December last year, forest department had even slashed accommodation charges by almost one-third for tree top house and dormitories.But the trekking ban led to a considerable drop in footfall to the tree top houses too thereby making it difficult for the forest department to maintain the property.Though the slashing of tariffs is aimed at bringing in more tourists, forest officials say they find it difficult to meet the expenses of maintaining the forest infrastructure. Things have got worse after the ban which shut out the tourist flow. Hardly a few tourists came to Patchamalai last month and no tourists have stayed in the tree top houses so far this month.

Stay updated with all the Latest Trichy headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.