Death of a 19 year old in an accident last week, the district tourism promotion council has temporarily banned off-road safaris in Idukki .
Palakkad native Maruthur Vadakkepattu Sreejith was killed and seven others injured after the jeep they were traveliing in fell into a 300 feet gorge at Kuruvikkanam near Nedumkandam at 3:30 pm on Saturday.
“DTPC has allowed off-road safari on the route through Amappara. But the driver chose to take the accident prone road at Kuruvikkanam. He drove the vehicle through a hilly slope in an inebriated condition . A case has been registered against the driver Girish who hails from Nadumkandam,” said DTPC secretary Jayan P Vijayan.
DTPC called an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the issue of off-road jeep safaris in various tourism destinations in Idukki. Police , RTO , Off-road jeep safaris drivers and various union leaders attended the meeting.
The district collector had earlier banned off-road safaris in the wake of Kurangini forest fire. It was assumed three months ago to attract tourists.
“In future , we will take strict actions against drivers who violate the rules, and monitor their service regularly,”said Vijayan .
