BENGALURU, April 10 -- Karnataka forest, ecology and environment minister Eshwar Khandre on Thursday ordered the preparation of a comprehensive standard operating procedure (SOP) for trekking safety, following a series of incidents involving visitors going missing in forested regions of the state. The directive to the chief wildlife warden, comes as search operations continue for a 15-year-old girl from Kerala who disappeared in the Chandradrona hills of Chikkamagaluru district.

In a statement, the minister's office said the proposed framework is intended to establish uniform safety measures and could serve as a model for similar initiatives across the country. The instruction was prompted not only by the ongoing search in Chikkamagaluru...