Minister, officials lose way deep in Narasapur forest

Forest minister Jogu Ramanna on Wednesday lost his way in the dense woods of the Narsapur forest area in Medak district giving anxious moments to officials and the police.

With no mobile phone signals in the area, officials had a tough time tracking the minister.

The minister arrived in forest area to plant saplings as part of ongoing Haritha Haram programme.

The venue was 2-km from the Narsapur-Gummididala highway, deep in the forest.

As no vehicle could reach the lunch venue, the minister, along with some officials started walking in the woods.

After planting the saplings, the officials arranged lunch at a clearing in the forest that was about 3 km away.

Mr Ramanna, along with Deputy Speaker Padma Devender Reddy, Medak ZP chairperson Rajamani, Medak collector Bharathi Hollikeri and a few officials decided to walk to the lunch venue.

While Ms Reddy, the collector and a few officials took one route, Mr Ramanna and MLA Madan Reddy and the remaining officials took another route and lost their way.

They struggled for one hour to find the correct route to the lunch venue.

With no trace of minister and officials for one hour and mobile phones not working, tension mounted for the others.

However, they heaved a sigh of relief after the lost minister managed to reach the venue after one hour.