Drunk tourists are not welcome here any more

Residents of villages in the vicinity of popular picnic and trekking spots are up in arms against the invasion by drunk and disorderly tourists

Bhushi dam, Rajmachi fort in Lonavala, the waterfall points in Mulshi, Madhe ghat, and even Sinhagad and Panshet near Pune are favourite destinations for picnickers and tourists, especially during the monsoons. But the growing numbers of inebriated tourists have now become a huge source of worry and concern for the local police, genuine trekkers and family groups.

To counter this menace of drunken tourists, residents of local villages have planned to take appropriate action to curb such irresponsible and even dangerous behaviour. The residents of Udhewadi, a base village of Rajmachi fort, have dug a trench to prohibit entry to fourwheelers, while at Madhe ghat near Torna fort, the locals have stopped providing any service to such groups. The Raigad collector has asked all sub-divisional magistrates in the district to issue orders restricting groups of visitors near waterfalls and dams.

Citing the reasons behind the decision, Tukaran Umbre of Udhewadi said, “We have had enough of these drunken tourists.

They have converted our place into a garbage pit. They litter the place with trash and beer bottles, play loud music and dance in obscene attires. If we try to stop them, they abuse us and sometime even manhandle us. Even the local cops are having problems in controlling these hooligans. So we have all come together to put an end to this nuisance.” But there are some villagers who provide alcohol to these groups, to make some money. However, with the mounting pressure from others and the local administration, they have now stopped selling alcohol.

“The worst part is that our women folk are not safe, as there have been cases of eve teasing in recent times. We don’t have enough manpower to stop them or drive them away. But at least we can stop entertaining them. We do not offer food and other services to such groups any longer,” said Lakshman Shinde, a resident of Kelad, a remote village near Madhe ghat.

Three years ago, the villagers had got into a fight with one such group, wherein one villager got injured when a hot curry vessel was thrown at him. The case is still pending in court. “That was an extreme case, but we don’t want to take any chances. We have already approached the local administration and asked them to post police staff to prevent these types of incidents,” said Shinde.

The genuine trekkers who visit these places to enjoy nature’s beauty, have welcomed the decision. “This step was necessary. There are some places like Sinhagad, Purandar and Patta forts, where tourists are not allowed to carry alcohol. The villagers have formed joint groups with local police and they check every vehicle. It would be an impossible task to put such check points everywhere, but that the villagers are taking a stern step, is a good sign and hopefully it will reduce the number of hooligans,” said Sidgounda Patil, a Punebased trekker.

Originally published on The Golden Sparrow