Complaints that those who had come to celebrate the New Year set the Vellanikal Paramum tourist spot on fire. Even the greenery around the Vellanikal temple was burnt. The incident took place around one o’clock in the morning on New Year’s Day.
Manikal Params are one of the famous tourist spots in the district. It is on the border of Pothankot and Mudakkal panchayats. Locals say that the group set fire to the area by bursting firecrackers and throwing torches.
At 12 o’clock in the night, the local residents see a small fire spreading. The fire brigade arrived but could not reach the spot. Then the army personnel tried to extinguish it by cutting tree branches, uprooting the plants and beating them to the ground.
Local residents allege that drug gangs are active on the hilltops and that large-scale drug sales and violence are taking place here. The government has declared the area as a tourist destination. There have been petitions to protect the 23-acre Vellanikal Rocks, which also houses an ancient temple, but no action has been taken. Locals demanded that the entry time of tourists to the params should be limited to 8 pm and high mast lights should be installed.