These tourist spots remain unsafe

104 lives lost in two years at Balamuri and Mutthathi in Mandya districts

Yet another youth met the watery grave in River Cauvery at Muthathi in Kanakapura taluk on Monday.

 Police have identified the deceased as Prabhu, 27, son of Raju, a resident of Lingarajapuram in Bangalore. Prabhu, a welder, had come to Muthathi with a group of six people on bikes on Monday morning. Despite warning from a few oarsmen about whirlpool, they ventured deep into the river. Though others managed to escape the current, Prabhu was sucked into it.

Balamuri and Muththathi, the two prominent tourist spots in the district are turning out to be watery graves, having claimed 104 lives in the last two years.

According to the statistics available, Balamuri in Srirangapatna taluk has recorded 61 deaths (21 in 2013 and 40 in 2012), and Muththathi 43 deaths (19 in 2012 and 24 in 2012), with majority of them being tourists and youths from Bangalore. Till May 2014, six persons have lost lives in Muththathi.

Balamuri is a known tourist spot. The abundant greenery enhanced by the river flowing through its womb attracts weekend revellers to Muththathi forest in good numbers.

Apart from Bangalore, people from nearby Mysore too throng the tourist spots for weekend fun. Many are known to consume alcohol and dive into the waters to feel the adrenaline rush, and have lost their lives after being washed away by the strong currents in the water.

When the number of people drowning in the water reached its peak earlier, authorities concerned initiated preventive measures by prohibiting consumption of liquor near the tourist spots. 

Warning boards were put up cautioning the tourists against the danger of taking to water, besides erecting safety barricades and distributing pamphlets among them.

As an extended measure, police personnel were to be deployed in adequate numbers during the weekend. However, the number of police force seems measly when compared to the tourists arriving in large numbers.

The irony here is, though forest officials intercept vehicles near Thalavadi on the way to Muththathi only to check transportation of liquor inside the woods, liquor is available with some persons selling it illegally inside the forest. 

Life jackets given to tourists has least helped in cutting down the number of mishaps.

 SP Bhushan Borase said that a proposal has been given to the Tourism department to make separate bathing arrangements in the river to check the number of fatal incidents.