BHOPAL: The Jabalpur district administration in Madhya Pradesh has banned clicking of selfies at tourist hotspots and water bodies in a bid to prevent accidental deaths during monsoon.
An order in this respect was issued by the Jabalpur district collector Mahendra Singh Chaudhary on Saturday. The ban was implemented by the collector under the powers vested to the district collector under Section 144 of CrPc.
Any violation of the order will invite action against the offenders under Section 188 of Indian Penal Code (IPC), says the order.
The Jabalpur superintendent of police MS Sikarwar who had a similar order implemented in the past during his stint as SP in Khandwa district told the New Indian Express on Sunday that display boards carrying the order banning selfies are being put at all tourist hotspots, particularly near water bodies.
Additional police personnel have also been deployed at the spots to ensure that the order is followed in letter and spirit, he added.
There has been a surge in visits by tourists, school and college goers at tourist hotspots and water bodies--Pariya and Khandari dam, Narmada river, Hiran river, Pariyat river Adhartal, Hanumantal, Supatal, Gokulpur pond and Sangram Sagar lake in Jabalpur this monsoon, according to Chaudhary.
With water level in all these water bodies on the rise during the monsoon and the crowds frequenting these spots, there is growing possibility of fatalities and accidents, particularly due to unchecked clicking of selfies with cell-phones by visitors, he added.