Twenty-nine people from Chennai, Coimbatore, Erode, Tirupur and other places in Tamil Nadu have been fined for illegal trek and trespass, among other offences, into the protected forest area in Kannivadi (block I) at Athur Taluk in Reddiarchatram union in Dindigul district.
Forest officials Kumaresan, Thilagaraja and others were on surveillance duty in Kaapukaadu area in Kannivadi forest, when they spotted a group of people on a trekking expedition. After inquiry, they imposed a fine of ₹4,500 on each person. It came to light that the trekkers were promised a day’s trip for a distance of about 7 to 10 km inside the forest.
A senior officer said that two persons from Chennai and Erode were responsible for organising the trip. It was an offence to enter a protected area and further investigation was on into the incident.
The officials said that there were a large number of Indian Gaur, elephants and bison inside Kannivadi reserve forest and, occasionally, the wild animals entered human habitations in search of water.
Published – July 28, 2025 05:00 pm IST
