Team Herald
PONDA: A day after the Union Railway Ministry inaugurated the halt-station that will allow passengers to view the Dudhsagar waterfalls, locals have welcomed the initiative.
Pointing out that it’s not only a tribute to State’s iconic waterfall, they say this will ensure more people get a glimpse of Goa’s gem.
They argue that earlier, people who wanted to check this place were often discouraged due to the various restrictions and difficulties to get to the area. Now, this has made things easier.
They also recall how earlier, it used to be a thrilling experience to view the waterfalls from the railway bridge and how it used to be a big draw for tourists. Due to its location and height, one gets to see the majestic waterfall from a close distance. “You get to see cascades of silky waterfalls with fresh smooth milky water falling in nature’s background,” said a local.
However, viewing from the railway bridge was banned, following two incidents. The first being an accident involving a girl who had attempted to alight from the Dudhsagar railway station. Then there was an attack on a train where AC coaches had been damaged. Following which, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) attached to the South West Railway had banned access to the railway bridge and in doing so tourists missed out on this golden opportunity, according to the locals.
They add that the only option available to the tourists was via the forest routes, where they would be ferried by jeep operators from Collem, treading on a 14 km rough forest road.
While one can view the waterfall from a distance, it’s not the same as the view from the railway bridge they add. Further, they point out that this viewing is also banned during the monsoon as a safety precaution from potential flooding and other rain related incidents.
They emphasise that there is nothing compared to the view one gets from the railway bridge, especially at its peak during the monsoon.
Umesh Naik from Ponda added that locals and not just tourists alone are excited about this.
Locals are also hopeful that the government will stick to its promise of increasing the frequency of the train if gets a successful response. Currently, the weekly Vasco-Belgaum train is running on a trial basis and will stop for 10 minutes at Dudhsagar.
This will be important, locals argue, as it means it’s the only time people will be allowed on the station. Given that it’s already September, they believe they will be great response this month with only a few weeks left but they add that in future, there should be great demand for the same. Local businessmen in the area are also optimistic about how this can help the economy of the region. From the forest route only, jeep operators made around 40,000 trips between September 2018 and May 2019, wherein a total of 2.5 lakh tourist visited the waterfall in that period.
