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Bengaluru: Ahead of the Ratha Saptami festival, Karnataka Minister Eshwar Khandre on Friday urged officials to stay vigilant and take precautions as rising temperatures heighten the risk of forest fires.

Ratha Saptami, also known as Surya Jayanti, marks the day when the Sun—the primary source of energy for all life—changes its course, shifting from the southeast to the northeast. This year, the festival falls on January 25.

Chairing a video conference with forest and wildlife department officials, Khandre directed the use of drone cameras for monitoring wherever available, intensification of patrolling, and heightened alertness in sensitive areas.

"Strict vigilance must be maintained to prevent damage to forest resources due to fires," he said.

The minister also asked officials to ensure that wildlife does not face a shortage of fodder and drinking water during the summer and to supply water to forest ponds using solar pumps connected to borewells.

A statement from Khandre’s office noted that during festivals such as Shivaratri, Ugadi, and Deepavali, devotees of Lord Mahadeshwara traditionally undertake padayatras along forest routes to reach Male Mahadeshwara Hills.

In this context, the minister directed that drone cameras be installed along footpaths and stairway routes to maintain continuous surveillance.

He also instructed the formation of teams comprising forest personnel, home guards, and local staff to assist devotees along these routes.

Officials have been asked to write to the Male Mahadeshwara Hills Development Authority and the district administration to bear the expenditure required for these arrangements.

According to the statement, devotees from Mandya, Mysuru, Ramanagara, Bengaluru, and other districts cross the Cauvery River, reach Basavanakatte in Hanur taluk, and then walk through forest routes via Shagya, D M Samudra, Ellemala, Mallayyanapura, Kaudalli, Vadakehalla, Konanakeri, and Talubetta to reach the hill shrine.

With an increase in wildlife population, such padayatras have become potentially dangerous, it added.

Khandre instructed officials to counsel devotees without hurting their sentiments and warned against staying overnight on forest fringes or in habitations inside forests.

Referring to the recent incident in which a youth, Praveen from Cheeranhalli village in Mandya district, was killed in a leopard attack last Wednesday, the minister urged devotees to use buses or cars to seek the deity’s darshan.

Khandre added that a note has been sent to the chief secretary to form a special team comprising district administration officials, district police, and forest department personnel to implement all necessary precautionary measures.