Lonavala waterfall tragedy: Pune administration issues guidelines for tourists
Pune (PTI): The Pune district administration has issued guidelines for tourists in view of the monsoon, following the death of a woman and four children after being swept away at a waterfall near Bhushi Dam in Lonavala.
Collector Suhas Divase on Monday instructed authorities to conduct a survey to identify potential hazards and ensure necessary measures for the safety of tourists visiting Maval, Mulshi, Khed, Junnar, Bhor, Velha and Ambegaon areas, which are located in the Western Ghats, an official said.
"Divase instructed district officials to visit picnic spots such as rivers, lakes, dams, waterfalls, forts and forests areas and ensure the safety measures. He directed to demarcate prohibited areas by installing warning boards. The places which are disaster-prone and where the safety measures cannot be taken must be shut for tourists," he said.
A large number of people come to Bhushi, Pavana dam areas, Lonavala, Sinhgad, Malshej and Tamhini Ghat during the monsoon.
"Agencies like revenue, forest, railways, municipal corporations and PWD should deploy divers, rescue boats, life guards, life jackets at water bodies which are frequented by tourists. Divase also asked the district administration to rope in NGOs, rescue foundations, trekkers and locals," the official said.
Visitors will not be allowed at such spots in forests after 6 pm, Divase said.
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Another bridge collapses in Bihar, 10th such incident in over 15 days
Patna (PTI): Another instance of bridge collapse came to the fore in Bihar on Thursday, making it the 10th such incident to have been reported from the state in just over a fortnight, an official said.
The latest incident was reported from Saran which witnessed two more bridge collapses in the last 24 hours, District Magistrate Aman Samir said.
No casualty was reported after the structure, built 15 years ago by local authorities, collapsed this morning, he said.
The small bridge over the Gandaki river was situated in the Baneyapur block and used to connect several villages in Saran with the neighbouring Siwan district.
“The small bridge was constructed 15 years ago. I am going to the spot. Several other officials of the district administration have already reached there. The exact cause of the bridge collapse is yet to be ascertained but desilting work was recently undertaken," the district magistrate told PTI.
On Wednesday, the Saran district witnessed the collapse of two small bridges - one in Janta Bazar area and another in Lahladpur area.
“A high-level probe has been ordered to find out the reason for the collapse of these small bridges in the district," the DM said.
According to locals, heavy rainfall for the last few days in the district might have contributed to the collapse of these small bridges.
Altogether 10 bridges collapsed in Siwan, Saran, Madhubani, Araria, East Champaran and Kishanganj districts in the past 16 days.
The latest incident took place a day after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar directed the road construction and rural works departments to conduct a survey of all old bridges in the state and identify those that require immediate repair.
The CM had on Wednesday chaired a meeting to review the maintenance policies and said the road construction department has already prepared its bridge maintenance policy and the rural works department should immediately chalk out its plan at the earliest.
