Centre asks states and UTs to identify ‘no-selfie zones’

NEW DELHI: The Centre has asked the state governments to identify tourist spots where accidents occur frequently when people take selfies, following reports of several such incidents. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, minister of state for home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir listed out unique measures to curb accidents caused while clicking selfies.  

Admitting that accidents related to clicking selfies have been occurring from time to time, Ahir said that the Tourism Ministry has issued guidelines for all states and Union Territories to safeguard tourists who intend to take selfies at tourist sites/ destinations.

Measures advised by the Tourism Ministry include putting up across ‘no-selfie zone’ signages in accident-prone areas, issuing warnings through public address systems and barricading areas of possible danger. 

The ministry has also asked states to explore the possibility deploying volunteers/ tourist police at such identified spots. The Centre has also advised states to spread awareness in the matter through social and media campaigns. 

The minister said that provision of safety to tourists for various tourism-related activities including self-precautionary measures to prevent any untoward incident is the primary responsibility of the concerned state government/UT administration.  Ahir also informed the Parliament that the Maharashtra government has already taken some steps in this regard. 

“The government of  Maharashtra has informed that they have taken measures to create awareness through signages indicating danger zones including selfie danger zones in the past,” Ahir said.

Ahir was replying to a question posed by Shiv Sena MP Haribhau Jadhav who asked if selfie had become a public safety issue. He also sought to know if the government or any other regulatory body had started educational camps “to prevent deaths-by-selfies”.