Trekkers in Karnataka have been facing an issue while trying to book slots online for trekking. When several trekker communities tried to dig deeper, they found that the Forest Department staff along with the agency maintaining the official website of Karnataka Eco-tourism Development Board, has been creating fake entry tickets online. They book fake tickets online and reserve slots to help private trek operators take tours and make personal profits. The trekkers have written official complaints explaining this corruption to the concerned authorities. The initial probe has confirmed this racket and further investigation is underway.
Trekkers Complain About Online Slot Booking Corruption In Karnataka
Karnataka’s Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre recently received a written complaint from the Bangalore Trekking Community. The complaint has allegedly exposed large-scale corruption by several staff members of the Forest Department and the agency maintaining the Karnataka Eco-tourism Development Board (KEDB)’s official website.
As per the complaint, these people colluded to create fake entry tickets and blocked online slots on the website. They did this in order to help private trek operators and pocket the profit by charging them extra. Further into the complaint letter, the trekker community even mentioned that this is happening at most of the trekking spots in Karnataka. Many supported this claim and showed examples of how they were not able to find an online opening to book a trekking slot but private operators helped them with it. These private operators, of course, charge extra. For example, if booking slots online for Skandagiri will cost you ₹607, a private operator can charge you anywhere between ₹1,000-1,500.
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Karnataka Authorities Launch Investigation On The Matter
In a preliminary investigation, this entire corruption racket, as found by the trekkers, was confirmed by the Karnataka forest department. They are now awaiting the final report. Based on these findings, they will take action against the culprits and plan a course of action from thereon.
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