Rescued Kerala trekker likely to face case under Forest Act

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 10 (IANS) Even as the 23-year-old trekker, Babu, who was rescued from the jaws of death by the army, is presently convalescing at a state-run hospital in Kerala's Palakkad, his travails are far from over as he might now have to face a case under the Forest Act.Forest officials are all set to register a case for trespass and according to a source in the know of things, State Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran called up a top Forest official and asked about it and is understood to have expressed his surprise at the speed of things.It was on Wednesday morning that help was sought from the Army to rescue Babu, who got trapped in a fault line of the Koormbachi hillock in Palakkad on February 7. He was taken out from where he was perched at about 400 feet from the top.After an hour's rescue act, he was then airlifted in a helicopter which had stayed in the air on the top of the hill during the operation.By the time Babu was admitted to the hospital, he was dehydrated as for nearly 40 hours he had gone without food or water.Babu, 23, along with three of his friends, had climbed the hillock and while coming down, he slipped and fell into the fault line.After failing to rescue him, his friends rushed downhill and alerted the locals and soon came the rescue team, but they too failed.And on Tuesday, an Indian Coast Guard's Chetak helicopter attempted the rescue operations, but, due to inclement weather, was unable to complete the mission.
--IANS sg/dpb

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