Safety measures to be increased at Gokak Falls

GOKAK: A day after a youth fell to his death at Gokak Falls, the police have beefed up the security and drawn a plan to increase safety measures at the famous falls. The rocky bed under the falls has turned a death trap for many who have ignored the safety instructions. As the hanging bridge is closed for the repair work, the tourists tend to go close to the edge of the water falls risking their lives.

“We are planning to erect poles along the edge of the falls so that people may not risk their life to view the waterfalls. The Ghataprabha dam may release water this month end and waterfalls will come back to its glory. This will attract a large number of tourists and we want to put the safety measures in place before that. We will hold talks with the Gokak Mills authorities and the City Municipal Council heads to implement the plan,” said a police officer. Soon after the incident, two police constables have been posted at the falls. The police will continue to guard the waterfalls and will stop people from going close to the edge.

Police records show that in the last five years, 19 people have died here which includes accidental falls and suicides.  “Both brothers Ramjan and Faruq were under the influence of alcohol when the incident happened. While Ramjan fell to his death, Faruq was stopped by the locals. He has been arrested and a case has been filed against him,” the officer said.

More videos surface

More videos surfaced on social media on Sunday showing the fatal fall of Ramjan from a height of 170 feet in Gokak falls. Soon after the incident, a video showing Ramjan falling had gone viral and on Sunday two more videos which were shot from different angles surfaced on many social media groups. In the video, people can be heard asking the brothers not to go near the edge, but they did not heed the advice.