Tourists venture into rivers in Kangra valley, risking their lives

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, June 24

Despite the orders of the High Court to the local administration on tourist safety, little has been done to stop tourists from venturing into rivers in the Kangra valley. Neither roads leading to riverbeds have been closed, nor any warning signs are put up to caution the tourists about the threat of venturing into rivers.

The High Court, while hearing a PIL three years ago, had directed the state government to ensure safety of the tourists visiting the state in order to avoid a repeat of the Mandi incident in which 24 engineering students from Andhra Pradesh had lost their lives. The court had also directed to display hoardings cautioning the tourists. Several tourists can be seen taking bath and having fun time in rivers adjoining Palampur and Baijnath by putting their lives at risk. The water level in the river can rise any moment if there is a rain in higher hills of the Dhauladhars

In the past fortnight, 12 persons, including tourists and locals, have drowned in rivers and rivulets of the district. A 20-year-old student of Thapar Engineering College drowned in Neugal river near old Vindhya Vasni temple. Before that, two youths had drowned in the river near Sulah.

The tourists visiting Palampur and adjoining areas seem to have learnt no lessons from the recent tragedies and continue to venture into the rivers. Local residents told The Tribune that the tourists pay no heed to the warnings and venture into the rivers to get pictures clicked. Several tourists can be seen getting their pictures clicked on the Neugal riverbed on a daily basis. Palampur DSP Lokinder Negi said the administration had already cautioned the tourists against going near the rivers, but they do not heed to such requests.