Trek tickets sold out in minutes; locals allege booking racket in Kudremukh range

Chikkamagaluru: After a five-month ban, trekking has resumed in Kudremukh, Netravathi, Bandaje, Gangadikal, and other areas under the Kudremukh range, but all 300 daily tickets sold out within minutes, prompting allegations of misuse of the online booking system.To prevent overcrowding, the forest department restricted trekking permission to 300 people per day. Bookings were allowed only through the official website.All 300 tickets for the June 6 treks to Kudremukh and Netravathi were sold out within minutes of bookings opening on May 22. Similarly, tickets for June 13 were snapped up soon after release, leaving trekkers angry and disappointed.Locals alleged that travel agencies from Bengaluru were behind the irregularities. “Travel agencies from Bengaluru, for their profit, use 20-25 of their staff to log in, and each one buys 3 tickets. This is how tickets are being booked illegally,” alleged a homestay owner in Kalasa taluk.“After booking Kudremukh trek tickets, agencies take tourists in their own buses to the trek based on those tickets. Because of this, agencies earn more than Rs 2,000 per trekker. While genuine trekkers in Kalasa taluk don’t get tickets even once a week, the number of tourists is not decreasing,” said Suhas, owner of a local accommodation facility.“Only one ticket should be allowed per person. Tickets should not be eligible for cancellation or refund. This will ensure only genuine trekkers book,” added another, Prashanth.Deputy conservator of forests Shivaram Babu of the Karkala Wildlife Division, who visited the Netravathi trek area on Monday for inspection, said, “We have received complaints about the ticket booking racket for Kudremukh and Netravathi treks.”