Ever since Kunti Betta, the rocky hillock at Pandavapura near here, went out of bounds for adventure tourists after complaints of nighttime partying and environmental damage, the National Adventure Foundation’s (NAF), an NGO recognised by Government agencies for conducting training programmes in adventure sports activities, is finding itself in a tight spot.
For, the NAF’s Karnataka chapter based in Mysuru is unable to oblige requests from educational institutions and others to conduct adventure sports programmes at Kunti Betta, which had emerged as a popular trekking destination for adventure seekers from Mysuru after the authorities banned trekking in Chamundi Hills.
In June this year, the Tahsildar of Pandavapura taluk issued orders restricting adventure sports activities in Kunti Betta and the nearby Pandavapura lake based on a complaint given by residents of nearby Hiremarali and Chikkade villages that adventure seekers consume liquor at night in the name of trekking and indulge in other illegal activities while the commercial tour operators are making money. The complainants even alleged that the water in Pandavapura lake had been polluted because of the water sports organised by these tour operators.
