Citing a law and order problem, the Sal panchayat has decided to stop tourists from visiting the bandhara from next year.
The government had constructed two bandharas at Sal, Bcholim and Hankhane, Pernem to pump water to the Assonora water treatment plant. The bandharas attracted the attention of people and soon turned into a picnic spot. People would also visit the water bodies to find relief from the scorching heat.
Recently, many incidents of eve-teasing, group clashes and even drowning were reported there. Last week, Shailesh Rama Asodkar (23) from Pissurlem and a native of Dandeli, Karnataka met a watery grave.
The Sal panchayat expressed anger over the bad name being given to the village by those tourists.
“It has become like a headache for us in the village as hundreds of people come here, especially during weekends. It has been going on since the last two years, and we have always objected to this,” said Sal Sarpanch Ghanasham Raut.
He continued, “We have written several letters to almost all the government authorities, but nobody has paid heed to our pleas. The deaths and other anti-social activities in the area have only given a bad name to the village. It has also led to an increase in the pollution and plastic waste as the people who come here throw garbage in this area. Now slowly there is also entry of drugs in the area. We have always voiced against this, but the panchayat is helpless as we can’t directly intervene in the matter as we are not given any orders by the authorities.”
The police started deputing its staff to the site last year when the media highlighted the issue. However, Raut said, “The police can’t do much because they do not have direct orders to stop the activities in the area. They just monitor the situation. We have kept patience as only two weeks are left for the monsoon, but next year we would not tolerate this and will stop the entry of people to this area.
What also angered the villagers is the fact that Madeshwar Devasthan falls within the vicinity of the bandhara. Sal resident Suresh Parab claimed, “We know that the panchayat cannot take tax or entry fee to the area as most of the surrounding area belongs to private persons, and panchayat do not have any control over the same. But, the deputy collector through an order could prohibit swimming in the area.”
