Dry spell reduces tourist flow to Lonavla

PIMPRI CHINCHWAD: The number of tourists reaching Lonavla and surrounding areas has reduced by 25%, thanks to the three-day dry spell this week.
Strict traffic restrictions are still in place with a strong police presence to prevent unruly behaviour and haphazard parking by revellers.
Police sub-inspector BS Sangale of the Lonavla city police said, “There are 60 to 70 police personnel deployed for police bandobast.We have taken action in 55 cases for haphazard parking.”
Police inspector Deepak Lukde of the Lonavla rural police added, “For bandobast, 50 police personnel from our police station and another 50 personnel from the rural headquarters have been deployed. There is one unit of striking force and one unit of riot control police. There is a separate unit to take action in drunk driving cases.”
The Bhushi dam has stopped overflowing due to the dry spell. As a safety precaution, the police have appealed tourists not to enter the dam waters. Further, the local police has also made an appeal to tourists urging them not to step onto the edge of the roads, ghats or hilltops to click selfies. Tourists may endanger themselves by doing so, the police has said.
Besides Lonavla and Khandala, tourists also visit spots like Rajmachi point and Karla in the monsoon season. If the tourist rush is heavy, the Lonavla rural police stops vehicles from heading towards Bhushi dam, Lohagad fort and Visapur fort beyond 4pm. However, on Saturday, there was a 25% drop in the number of tourists in Lonavla.
Dilip Gupta, president of the Lonavla Traders Association, said, “The waterfalls have dimmed due to the dry spell. As a result, the tourist flow to the town and surrounding areas was lesser than usual. Further, heavy traffic snarls occur on the roads leading to the popular tourist spots of Bhushi dam and Lohagad fort so the tourists have started visiting Karla, Pavana dam and other areas in Maval taluka. These areas would otherwise see much fewer tourists.”