MADIKERI: A serene spot surrounded by greenery, the Kote Abbi Falls in Mukkodlu village used to be a hidden paradise. A sacrosanct place for the local villagers, this water stream was less-known to the outsiders. However, tragedy struck the place after the death of three tourists including two teenagers and this incident has exposed the absence of required security and caution at the spot.
Three tourists from Telangana namely Shyam 36, Sriharsha 18, and Sai Indraneel 16, who were part of an over 10-member group, drowned while playing in the water on Sunday evening. The fire and rescue services personnel fished out the bodies and shifted them to Madikeri general hospital for postmortem.
“Over 300 to 400 tourists visit the spot during the peak tourist season,” shared a local shopkeeper in the area. While a caution board requesting the tourists not to bathe in the water has been planted in the vicinity, the same is located far away from the falls and the cautions are often missed by many tourists. While a person was appointed by the Makkanduru panchayat to ensure cleanliness in the sacrosanct falls, he was fired two months ago following complaints against the collection of parking fees by a few homestay owners in the area.
“A person was appointed to collect parking fees in the area and to ensure cleanliness. He also cautioned the tourists against getting into the water. However, we received complaints of misappropriation of funds as many alleged that the person also collected money from photographers who visited the spot for pre-wedding shoots. Following these complaints, we had to fire the in-charge person,” explained Kannikanda Shyam Subbaiah, the president of the panchayat. He also shared that the panchayat had to arrange for proper parking facilities and improve the spot before collecting money from the tourists.
Nevertheless, the absence of proper security at the place that is visited by thousands is seen as the main reason for the death of three tourists. The spot had reported two deaths earlier – nearly 14 years ago.
"A few homestays complained against the collection of parking funds and the same was withdrawn. Now, will these people take responsibility for the death of the tourists?” questioned Odiyanda Sujan, a resident who owns a shop near the falls. He shared that the falls is considered to be sacrosanct and is termed as ‘devara gundi’. “Whenever tourists ventured into the water, I used to chase them away holding a pole despite being abused by many. We caution every tourist not to enter this spot but we are in turn questioned by several. This tragic death of three people was reported when I was away from the village. Security at the spot is the need of the hour,” he shared. After the incident, Sujan has blocked the way to the water and has planted a caution board barring tourists from venturing into the water.