Overview
- Forest minister Eshwar Khandre directed the chief wildlife warden to draft a standard operating procedure for trek safety that could serve as a national model.
- Officials are weighing a temporary phone app that tracks trekkers during outings, drawing on the e-Gastu tool and the MStripes system used in tiger reserves.
- The plan calls for designated nature guides to carry wireless sets and to be held responsible for group coordination and safety.
- Search teams from local police, the forest department, and the SDRF continue to comb the Chandradrona hills for a missing 15-year-old from Kerala, with steep, foggy terrain slowing progress.
- Police expanded their probe after the girl's mother alleged kidnapping, reviewing CCTV and vehicle logs, while a recent four-day missing-and-found case in Kodagu added urgency to the policy push.