Police call off time restriction to visit Bhushi dam

PIMPRI CHINCHWAD: Visitors heading to Lonavla’s famous Bhushi dam will not have to face any time restriction but the Lonavla city police have appealed to the tourists to observe traffic discipline in the area.
Usually, due to a heavy rush of tourists at the Bhushi dam, the police barricade the route in the second half of the day. This year, the police plan to not restrict tourists from travelling all the way to the dam, if they observe traffic discipline.
Senior inspector B R Patil, of the Lonavla city police station, said, “We want tourists to enjoy the monsoon in Lonavla without disturbing others and observing traffic discipline. If they follow the rules, then we will not put any restrictions on going to the dam. We will deploy 15 traffic wardens from the Lonavla Municipal Council (LMC), six home guards, 35 police mitras and 70 police personnel on bandobust duty on weekends in order to control the heavy rush of tourists.”
Regarding action being taken to prevent drunken driving, the senior police officer said, “We will use breathalysers to detect drunken driving cases and take action against those found guilty.”
While there will be no restriction on tourists’ movement towards the dam throughout the day, the police will direct visitors to vacate the area before sunset to avert mishaps. “We have deployed policemen at the dam and put up warning boards in the surrounding areas to prevent mishaps. Tourists should not try to enter the dam waters. Announcements will also be made on loudspeakers to guide and warn tourists to prevent mishaps. Policewomen and plainclothes policemen will be deployed at the spot to prevent eve-teasing and other incidents,” Patil added.