Planning Wayanad trip? Avoid these zones, warn police

It's a great time to visit the verdant Wayanad and find some respite in its cool spots this summer. Many vloggers, travel influencers, and others have also been creating captivating content in the backdrop of its popular and emerging tourist destinations. However, Kerala police warn that tourists should steer clear of certain zones for their own safety. They have decided to impose restrictions on tourists to avoid increasing pressure on the landslide-prone zone of Chooralmala-Mumdakkai villages. 

Recently, police relaxed the restrictions to allow farmers and plantation groups to harvest the agrarian crops in the region. With the harvest season of coffee and pepper coming to an end and the flow of visitors increasing manifold, there are various concerns regarding safety, security, and 'law and order' in the abandoned landslide-hit regions. 

District Police Chief Taposh Basumatari said in a press release that the district administration has already declared the area a 'prohibited zone' where entry is limited to landowners, farm labourers, and plantation groups' vehicles. He said any attempt by tourists to visit the spot would be prevented, and tourists visiting the district should not include Mundakkai-Chooralmala villages in their itinerary. The SP also warned that any attempt to trespass into the zones without prior permission would invite stringent actions from the police. 

The intervention of the District Superintendent of Police to check the flow of visitors to the spot was in the wake of several agencies facilitating a 'visit' for tourists to move around the landslide-hit zone.  There were also complaints that thieves are still roaming around the area robbing off valuables from the closed-down houses, as many of the residents are living in rented homes elsewhere, whereas many valuable things were still kept at closed houses.