Ponda: Police officials on Sunday dispersed more than 10 groups comprising approximately eight persons each who had gathered for bathing at a waterbody in the Shignewal–Nirankal area under the Betoda–Nirankal panchayat in Ponda taluka.
Defying repeated warnings issued by the district administration following a series of drowning incidents in Dharbandora taluka, large numbers of youngsters had flocked to the secluded Shignewal–Nirankal river basin to escape the soaring summer heat.
Acting on information regarding crowds assembling at the hazardous waterbody, police personnel went to the location and dispersed the gathering.
Recently an IIT student had drowned at Okamb, Dharbandora. On Sunday morning, the body of a Ponda resident was found floating in the Dudhsagar river.
Officials from the deputy collectorate and the offices of the mamlatdar of Ponda and Dharbandora have intensified preventive safety measures by erecting prominent cautionary signboards near deep-water stretches, river basins, canals and other vulnerable locations. The warning boards specifically caution citizens and tourists against entering hazardous waters, particularly during heavy flow conditions.
However, despite repeated appeals and visible warning signage, groups of youngsters continue to throng isolated riverbanks and forested waterbodies, often placing their lives at grave risk.
Ponda and Collem police officials reiterated that strict surveillance would continue at vulnerable spots across the taluka and warned that violators ignoring safety advisories may face legal action in the interest of public safety.
