Tourists Made To Do Sit-Ups At Dudhsagar Waterfall In Goa
Dudhsagar waterfall access denied due to heavy rainfall, while fort rush in Maharashtra causes management and descent difficulties.
Dudhsagar waterfall on the Karnataka-Goa border is known for its stunning beauty during the rainy season, attracting a huge number of visitors. The waterfalls belong to Karnataka, but the water that flows falls into Goa territory. As the waterfalls have turned majestic with heavy rains over the last few days, people from Bengaluru, Mangaluru in Karnataka and Pune and other districts of Maharashtra have been thronging the scenic spot. However, heavy rainfall in Goa has made the falls dangerous. Visitors have to trek from Castle Rock for about a kilometer on the tracks to arrive at the falls. The Indian Railways has banned people from boarding and deboarding at the Dudhsagar stop. The Goa police, Goa Forest Department and the Railways have been strict with trekkers, considering the heavy rainfall and the likelihood of mishaps. A large number of tourists found themselves unable to visit the popular Dudhsagar waterfall in Goa as police denied access. This decision caused frustration and anger among them. Despite the Railways banning trekking, people came in large numbers without permission. They all got down once the trains slowed down. This being the weekend, the crowd was bigger. More than 50 Railway Police personnel who had been stationed stopped the trekkers midway, punished them by making them do situps and sent them back. The policemen hit the youth, who did not do the sit-ups, mildly with lathis. A video has gone viral on social media where some tourists are seen staging a protest by sitting on the railway track to condemn the behaviour of the police. Similarly, heavy rush to various forts, including Sinhagad, Lohagad, Visapur, among others, stranded trekkers and visitors on a sunday, 2 weeks back. Many tourists and even trekkers also faced a difficult time while descending from the forts owing to the narrow and slippery trails. There were few police officers, but the sudden rush of visitors to the fort, they were not enough to manage. Then several trekking groups who had gone to visit, helped others in slowly getting down the steps at Lohagad.
