Authorities make trekkers do sit-ups in India’s Goa after they risk waterfall adventure in rains

Many visitors get down from trains at a previous station and walk towards the Dudhsagar Falls along the railway tracks despite warnings.

• Shubham
• 17 July, 2023

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By: Shubham Ghosh

A VIDEO showing people trekking to Dudhsagar Falls, one of India’s popular tourist spots located in the state of Goa, made to do sit-ups allegedly by the local administration has gone viral.

As social media was abuzz with the video, several netizens claimed that the trekkers were a group of tourists who were punished by the police of the Indian Railways for getting down from a train before the scheduled halt and crossing the railway tracks to reach the falls, which is one of the tallest at a height of more than 1,000 feet.

A policeman with a stick was also seen walking behind them.

Railway Police Punish Trekkers at Dudhsagar Waterfall. #Dudhsagar #travel pic.twitter.com/hM94awOmcy

— Naveen Navi (@IamNavinaveen) July 16, 2023

The train tracks of the South Western Railway segment lie adjacent to the falls that turn picturesque during the monsoon with the water gushing through a cover of lush greenery of the forest area around. People from Goa’s adjacent states of Karnataka and Maharashtra flock to the scenic spot during the rains to witness the natural beauty.

The visitors walk along the railway tracks after de-boarding trains at Collem station in South Goa to walk to the falls. However, there are also reports of fatal accidents on the route during the wet season and the police of Goa, railways and the forest department issued orders banning trekking in the monsoon season considering the heavy downpour and chances of mishaps.

We urge you to savour the beauty of Dudhsagar Falls from WITHIN your coach. Walking on/along tracks not only endangers your own safety but is also an offence under Section 147, 159 of Railway Act. It can also endanger safety of trains. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/Puj7hKh5JF

— South Western Railway (@SWRRLY) July 16, 2023

The South Western Railway urged people against walking along the tracks, tweeting, “We urge you to savour the beauty of Dudhsagar Falls from within your coach. Walking on/along tracks not only endangers your own safety, but is also an offence under sections 147, 159 of Railway Act. It can also endanger safety of trains.”

Dudhsagar, which means ‘sea of milk’, originates in the Mandovi river in Goa.