Pune: Administration extends prohibitory orders at tourist places till further notice

IMD has issued orange and yellow alerts for heavy rainfall in ghat areas around Pune for the next few days. Taking a note of this, the district administration has extended the prohibitory orders issued for tourists visiting Maval and Mulshi, including Lonavla and Tamhini Ghat, until further notice.

The earlier orders restricting the entry of tourists to tourist spots in Maval and Mulshi, including Lonavla and Tamhini Ghat were effective from July 25 till July 29.

Despite the prohibitory orders and cautionary notes, several tourists were found defying the orders and were seen at Bhushi dam and other locations on Sunday.

The Lonavla city police have booked 26 such tourists from Pune and Mumbai under section 223 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

“The majority of dams in the district are filled up to capacity or nearing capacity. The irrigation department has already started discharging water into rivers. Even a short spell of heavy rain can cause flooding in areas around rivers. So, we have extended the prohibitory orders to avoid any untoward incident,” Surendra Navale, sub-divisional officer of Maval and Mulshi, said.