Navi Mumbai: 116 people stranded on Kharghar hills rescued

Kharghar hills

The Navi Mumbai police and fire brigade personnel rescued 116 people stranded on Kharghar hills on Sunday evening.

On Sunday evening, the Navi Mumbai police control room received a call from people stranded near Golf Course on Kharghar hills.

Shatrughna Mali, senior inspector of Kharghar police station, immediately alerted the fire brigade. "As many as 116 persons, including 78 women and 5 children, were rescued using ropes and ladder," Mali said.

Mali said they managed to wade through a shallow stream in the morning. However, by afternoon, the shallow stream had swelled into a fast-moving river making it impossible for the picnickers to cross over to go home, he told mediapersons.

The rescue team of around 15 fire-brigade personnel deployed ladders and thick nylon ropes to create a human wall in the gushing stream barely a dozen metres wide, and helped the marooned people cross over, without any injuries.

Kharghar's Pandavkada waterfall is famous among tourists. However, since last month, the Navi Mumbai Police have banned entry to the Pandavkada waterfalls in Kharghar, and other local popular hill picnic destinations, owing to several tragic incidents that have occurred in the past.

However, villagers rue that people from Navi Mumbai, Thane and Mumbai still manage to sneak in despite the police presence and land themselves in life-threatening situations.

On his part, Mali has again warned that henceforth, if anybody is found venturing into these areas, they will "not be spared".

(With agency inputs)