Pilgrims seek permission to trek Coimbatore’s Vellingiri hills from February

The Madras High Court has directed the Forest Department to remove the check posts at the Thanneer Pandal and allow buses to ply till the foothill of the Vellingiri hills to enable pilgrims to climb the hills from February to May every year to worship the deity at the top of the seventh hill. If for any reason, the Conservator of Forests, Coimbatore, and the Forest Range Officer, Boluvampatti range, are compelled to issue any notification preventing the entry of the devotees during this period, the same shall only be done after consulting the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department and arriving at a consensus with regard to permitting the entry of the devotees, the High Court order said. The Forest Department had been allowing trekking to the hills in the past as per the Boluvampatti block II reserve forest notification on public right of way. According to the Forest Department, pilgrims are not allowed after the two months as the hills receive early spells of the southwest monsoon and wind speed of 100 to 120 km per hour, making the trek through the steep hills unsafe for them.