The deafening roars of India’s second highest fall beckons tourists
With Monsoon at its peak, the very first sight of these splendorous falls will elevate your senses. Jog falls, the second highest falls in India, is in full glory these days.
Located amid lush green vegetation of Western Ghats in Shivamogga district of Karnataka, Jog falls is brimming with tourists from far and wide to savor the roaring milky water columns plunging down the rocky chasm sheathed in greenery.
Created by the Sharavathi River falling from a height of 253 m at Jog town, the course of water channels into four forming the waterfall. The first column is sobriqueted as the Raja, which chutes down into one mass to a depth of 253.15 meters.
It is joined by the Roarer while the third one is the Rocket, which shoots downward in a series of jets. The fourth is called the Rani, and it glides down quietly in a feminine grace. Ensconced by verdant forests, these waterfalls offer a scintillating sight.
The sun and moon light over the gushing torrents during the day and night create a perpetual rainbow over the falls. Since it is a catchment area and rainfall is copious very often the falls disappears in the misty weather to reappear again after the fog rolls over.
View points
The main viewing area is in the heart of the town but one can also go to the other side from where the falls take the plunge.
There are steps from the main view point that take you to the bottom of falls. A gushing pool down below provide tourists a place to unwind. But it is not easy to go down as there are approximately 1,450 steps and often one gets tired while on return. At the main viewing point, one can relax at the park.
Though the Linganamakki dam, built across Sharavathi river and is exclusively used for hydel power production, was once another attraction for tourists in Jog Falls but for the last many years it is closed for tourists. Jog Falls is located downstream of Linganamakki reservoir.
Sustainable tourism
Speaking to Al Aarabiya English, M. Lokesh, Deputy Commissioner, Shimoga district, said that the government is committed toward Sustainable Tourism for Development as far as Jog Falls is concerned.
“Since tourists come to Jog Falls and find only the falls and nothing else to see we are planning to link with neighboring destinations which are home to famous temples,” he said adding that tt Jog Falls, they are focusing on providing proper facilities.
Many new developments were planned some years ago but they are yet to be taken forward. There have been proposals for a ropeway between gorges of the valley of the Jog Falls, development of the garden on the model of the Brindavan Garden, etc. With a new government in place, it is expected that these plans might be given a push.
Adventure camp
About seven kilometers away from Jog falls, the Jungle Lodges and Resorts Limited (JLR), a Karnataka government undertaking that promotes ecotourism and adventure activities, has come up with the Sharavathi Adventure Camp.
It is located on the lush sloping terrain abutting the Talakalale, a balancing reservoir to Linganamakki dam constructed across Sharavathi River. The reservoir is strewn with many lush jade-green islets.
Encompassed by greenery the camp offers aquatic adventures like coracle rides, kayaking and game fishing; bird watching, guided trekking, etc.
You can wake up to misty mornings and head out for a drive into the densely wooded forest of the Sharavathi Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. The rainy season is still on and the region will continue to be pounded with more rains until September end-making Jog falls a place of awe.
Courtesy: english.alarabiya.net
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Trouble ‘Miyas’ everywhere only then they will leave Assam: Himanta Biswa Sarma
Says “Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP are openly against them, we are saying it openly
New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that four to five lakh “Miya voters” would be removed from the electoral rolls in the state once the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists is carried out. He also made a series of controversial remarks openly targeting the Miya community, a term commonly used in Assam in a derogatory sense to refer to Bengali-speaking Muslims.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an official programme in Digboi in Tinsukia district, Sarma said it was his responsibility to create difficulties for the Miya community and claimed that both he and the BJP were “directly against Miyas”.
“Four to five lakh Miya votes will have to be deleted in Assam when the SIR happens,” Sarma said, adding that such voters “should ideally not be allowed to vote in Assam, but in Bangladesh”. He asserted that the government was ensuring that they would not be able to vote in the state.
The chief minister was responding to questions about notices issued to thousands of Bengali-speaking Muslims during the claims and objections phase of the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls in Assam. While the Election Commission is conducting SIR exercises in 12 states and Union Territories, Assam is currently undergoing an SR, which is usually meant for routine updates.
Calling the current SR “preliminary”, Sarma said that a full-fledged SIR in Assam would lead to large-scale deletion of Miya voters. He said he was unconcerned about criticism from opposition parties over the issue.
“Let the Congress abuse me as much as they want. My job is to make the Miya people suffer,” Sarma said. He claimed that complaints filed against members of the community were done on his instructions and that he had encouraged BJP workers to keep filing complaints.
“I have told people wherever possible they should fill Form 7 so that they have to run around a little and are troubled,” he said, adding that such actions were meant to send a message that “the Assamese people are still living”.
In remarks that drew further outrage, Sarma urged people to trouble members of the Miya community in everyday life, claiming that “only if they face troubles will they leave Assam”. He also accused the media of sympathising with the community and warned journalists against such coverage.
“So you all should also trouble, and you should not do news that sympathise with them. There will be love jihad in your own house.” He said.
The comments triggered reactions from opposition leaders. Raijor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi said the people of Assam had not elected Sarma to keep one community under constant pressure. Congress leader Aman Wadud accused the chief minister of rendering the Constitution meaningless in the state, saying his remarks showed a complete disregard for constitutional values.
According to the draft electoral rolls published on December 27, Assam currently has 2.51 crore voters. Election officials said 4.78 lakh names were marked as deceased, 5.23 lakh as having shifted, and 53,619 duplicate entries were removed during the revision process. Authorities also claimed that verification had been completed for over 61 lakh households.
On January 25, six opposition parties the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(M-L) submitted a memorandum to the state’s chief electoral officer. They alleged widespread legal violations, political interference and selective targeting of genuine voters during the SR exercise, describing it as arbitrary, unlawful and unconstitutional.
