Pandit Patil seeks permanent safety system on Raigad beaches after Diveagar drowning of eight Pune students

Alibag: Eight students from Pune drowned at Diveagar beach in Raigad district. The incident has raised afresh the question of tourist safety on the district's beaches. Against this background, BJP leader and former MLA Pandit Patil has questioned the working of the administration and local representatives. He has demanded that permanent and capable safety arrangements be put in place on the beaches.

Raigad district has a long coastline. Several beaches, including Murud, Kashid and Diveagar, draw tourists. Patil claims that despite heavy crowds at these places, the permanent arrangements needed for tourist safety are not visible.

Patil said the beaches need signboards clearly marking dangerous spots, trained lifeguards, police deployment, rescue equipment and a system that works in emergencies. Discussion on beach safety after the recent Diveagar incident is also revolving around these issues.

Meanwhile, a robotic buoy was earlier used for rescue at Kashid beach and saved the lives of tourists. In the context of Patil's demands, this underlines the need to extend the use of such modern rescue equipment to other vulnerable beaches as well.

Patil has demanded that the state government set up a separate, permanent and unified safety system for Raigad's beaches. He made it clear that he will pursue the government on the matter by submitting an official letter.

Patil also criticised the government, the administration and public representatives. He cited an incident around 2017-18 in which tourists from Pune drowned at Murud. According to him, some measures were taken after that incident, but they were neither adequate nor permanent in nature.

Patil also said that merely putting up a watchtower or carrying out rescue work after an accident cannot be a lasting solution for tourist safety. He said preventive measures must be taken in advance so that accidents do not happen at all.

Following the Diveagar incident, the district administration has begun steps to increase the number of lifeguards on the beaches. The administration has said that the process of further strengthening safety arrangements through gram panchayats, the disaster management system and the police is under way.