Maharashtra Tourism issues monsoon safety advisory
Malshej Ghat
Expecting a heavy tourist inflow during the monsoon season, the Maharashtra Tourism Department has issued strict advisories to district collectors to identify a list of “vulnerable” spots and take precautionary measures to avoid unfortunate incidents.
Joint Managing Director, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), Ashutosh Rathod, told the media that state Tourism Minister Jaykumar Rawal had instructed district collectors to enhance security measures after identifying the spots at risk.
Matheran Waterfalls
Bookings are almost full at several destinations including Malshej, Bhandardhara, Matheran, Karla and other MTDC resorts and most of the tourists are interested in wildlife sanctuaries or climbing forts. In light of recent accidents at scenic waterfalls, Tourism and Forest department officials have already enhanced surveillance in such areas.
Karla Caves
A M Anjankar, Deputy Conservator of Forest (Satara), said that as the inflow of tourists cannot be controlled, strict measures are taken at the Lingmala waterfalls which is a famous attraction at Mahabaleshwar. According to Rathod, all the major tourist spots, especially in the forest area and water falls will be under strict monitoring by increasing the number of security personnel. Warning sign boards will also be installed in risky spots.
Pune District Collector Naval Kishore Ram said, “One area of concern is the weekend rush at Lonavala which not only poses a big challenge for maintaining safety but also causes major traffic issues in the area. We have to plan the management of traffic in such a manner that the arrival of tourist vehicles does not make any traffic block.”
Randa Waterfall – Bandardara
Another concern in these areas is to avoid awkward incidents and loss of life due to landslides, which may happen due to heavy rainfall in hilly areas.
Deepak Harne, Regional Manager, MTDC (Pune region) said other than the security measures, all the resorts and hotel managers have also been instructed to advise tourists not to venture to dangerous spots or take selfies at accident-prone locations.