Dudhsagar Falls: Tourists Caught on Camera Doing Sit-Ups for Violating 'Rules'

A video has gone viral showing hundreds of tourists flocking to Dudhsagar waterfall in Goa, despite safety warnings from the government and railway authorities. The video shows tourists walking along the railway tracks to reach the waterfall, which is located in a remote area.

The monsoon season has made the area even more dangerous, as the tracks are slippery and there is a risk of landslides. The video comes a few days after Goa's forest department barred entry at waterfalls due to heavy rainfall and several drowning incidents. The video which went viral showed several people standing along the railway tracks as some roads had been closed due to rain.

Another video that went viral shows trekkers to Dudhsagar falls on the Goa-Karnataka border being made to do sit-ups. Tweets and various news outlets claim that the group of tourists were being punished by the Railway Police for violating the rules by getting off the train before the scheduled station and crossing the tracks to reach the falls.

During the monsoon season, the waterfalls in Goa become majestic, attracting visitors from Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Belagavi, Uttara Kannada, Hubballi-Dharwad, Bagalkot, Pune, and other districts of Maharashtra. These visitors often walk along the tracks of the South Western Railway line from Collem station in South Goa to reach Dudhsagar.

However, the Goa Police, forest department, and Railways have issued orders banning trekking in the monsoon season due to the heavy rainfall and the potential for accidents.

In response to these incidents, the Goa government has temporarily restricted access to the falls, prioritizing the safety of tourists during the monsoon season. The ban was imposed following the tragic drowning incident at Mainapi waterfall in Sanguem taluka, which led to the closure of the forest road and subsequently prompted many visitors to attempt the 11-kilometer walk along the South Western Railway line from Collem station in South Goa. Authorities swiftly intervened in such cases.

The South Western Railway also took to Twitter, urging people not to walk along the tracks. "We urge you to savour the beauty of Dudhsagar Falls from within your coach. Walking on/along tracks not only endangers your own safety, but is also an offence under sections 147, 159 of Railway Act. It can also endanger safety of trains," it tweeted.

Dudhsagar Falls, named for its resemblance to a 'sea of milk', cascades from a height of 1,017 feet, originating from the Mandovi River over the Western Ghats.