Men in white to rescue of khaki at Bhushi dam

Navy helps cops control vistors, manage traffic at tourist spot

Men in white to rescue of khaki at Bhushi dam

Navy helps cops control vistors, manage traffic at tourist spot

The next time you go to Bhushi Dam, do not be surprised if you see men in shiny, white uniform asking you to maintain a line. These are none other than naval officers, who are now working shoulder to shoulder with the local police to 'discipline' picnickers at the dam. For the past six months, officers from the Indian Naval Ship (INS) Shivaji at Lonavala have been busy helping the local police to control the crowd and manage traffic during the peak hours at the Bhushi Dam.

Under control: Bhushi dam, where officers from INS Shivaji at Lonavala
have been helping the police for the past six months. File pic

Also called the Naval College of Engineering (NCE), officers said the practice was started six months ago after a meeting with the local authorities on handling tourists. A naval officer from NCE on condition of anonymity said that the primary reason was to help the naval trucks and transport that ply to and fro the military base. "They often get stuck in traffic themselves which sometimes make base operations difficult. As the base is only three to four kilometers from the dam, we decided to assist the local police. At a time, 10 to 15 men are stationed during weekends on the road leading to the dam," explained the officer.

Commodore K Srinivas, the commandant at INS Shivaji, said the Navy also participated in the weekly local body meetings. "We have had several meetings with the police and the railways, as a part of the land belongs to them. All of us are stakeholders in the safety of the dam and the tourists. On weekends, the pressure is high on all of us, as tourists from both Mumbai and the city flock to the dam," Srinivas said.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0

Police Inspector Vishnu Pawar from the Lonavala city police station said the Navy was of great help, articularly, during the weekends. "About 15,000 to 20,000 vehicles and some 70,000 people mill about the Dam on Fridays and Saturdays and our manpower is stretched to its limit. The Navy's help has been god sent," he said.u00a0u00a0

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