People have been prohibited from visiting the popular Pandavkada waterfalls in Kharghar, from 7 June to 30 September.
Kharghar / Navi Mumbai / Panvel: With monsoons making their presence felt, filling up local water bodies and waterfalls big and small, the Kharghar police has sprung into action, banning visits to the Pandavkada waterfalls, and enforcing section 144, to keep revellers at bay.
The ban comes in succession with last year’s ban, with the only exception of the penalizing section being enforced to send a strong message to careless frolickers.
The Pandavkada falls has seen a fair share of deaths in the past, mostly of young boys and girls coming from far off places for a little monsoon adventure unaware of the terrain and the many potential threats that the falls pose to careless trekkers.
The Kharghar police has always been strictly against people visiting the waterfall during the monsoons owing to the unpredictable terrain and a lack of security measures.
Last year too, the local police had set up temporary posts at the entry point of the Pandavkada falls, next to the Kharghar Gurudwara, sending people away. In all, 67 people had been booked for violating the norms.
Also read: Kharghar police book revellers at Pandavkada waterfalls and other places
The Pandavkada waterfalls have already started flowing in full force with the amount of rain received in the last couple of days. As a result, revellers have been tempted to visit the area to have some fun in the water. Some of them have even found out ways to elude the police spotters posted in the area.
Shatrughan Mali, senior police inspector, Kharghar, shared, “The Pandavkada waterfalls is a pretty tricky area and hence we have shut it down for three months for the well-being of the people. Many young people have lost their lives in and around the waterfall in the past and we intend to cut down the chances of such incidents as much as possible.”
Mali further informed about the seriousness of the matter.
“We are not taking it lightly and have sent a general warning to people that section 144 has been enforced. Any person or group of people found visiting the Pandavkada waterfalls or other such areas will be strictly dealt with.”
For those who are unaware, Kharghar houses the popular Pandavkada waterfalls along with a couple of small waterfalls, streams and lakes, with one at the Golf Course Driving Range area, which is yet another hot-spot during the monsoons.
Other places include the small waterfalls at Owe camp hills and villages like Ghamole, Fanaswadi and Chafewadi.
Along with the local police, the Forest department has also banned people from visiting the Pandavkada Waterfalls for the lack of security measures or even adequate infrastructure.
Every year, hundreds of people throng the Pandavkada waterfalls and the hills around putting their lives at risk climbing up hillocks, taking narrow and slippery paths and making way through overflowing streams, to reach the falls.
To make matters worse many young revellers go to great lengths to stand out of the crowd and take great risks hiking the slippery hills and rough terrain for the sake of adventure and fun.
What people fail to realise or accept, is that the Pandavkada waterfalls area is not an official or even a safe tourist area, and that the terrain and flow of water is very unpredictable.
It is owing to such reason that many unfortunate people have died in the past, after slipping and getting caught in the fast currents of water, flowing down the waterfalls.
There have also been incidents of people getting hurt owing to loose boulders thrown off the top of the hills along the line of the waterfalls.
The Kharghar police hope that people will act responsibly and not take unnecessary risks for the sake of fun.
Last Updated on July 3, 2021 by lp@admin
