Trekking sites would do well to have signage warning people about straying too close to cliffs’ edges. They must also highlight that nothing is as precious as human life, so safety is paramount. While signage may not always work, it does act as a slight deterrent or may make one think twice.
This picture has been used for representational purposes
One week after a Mulund resident slipped and died during a trek in Panvel, a 20-year-old from Byculla died at Raigad Fort in Pune.
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This boy was trying to pick up his portable mobile charger which had slipped out of his hand and landed near the cliff’s edge.
The young trekker was accompanied by a group of 16. This youngster, a report said, climbed to a certain point to have a look at the scenery. While the group had moved away to another spot, the youngster tried to retrieve his fallen charger and in the process, slipped and fell into a 100-feet-deep valley. Though he was found and taken to hospital, he did not survive the fall.
Do take a moment to contemplate how many times we put ourselves in grave danger, trying to extricate or pick up our device?
When devices drop on the roads or sometimes slip out of our hands in moving trains or buses, we take great risks.
Fuelled by adrenalin and an agonising sense of loss as our life seems to revolve around the phones, or simply not understanding that the dangers outweigh the benefits, we try to retrieve our phones. In the above case, of course, it was a charger but that, too, shows us an inordinate attachment to the device life.
Trekking sites would do well to have signage warning people about straying too close to cliffs’ edges. They must also highlight that nothing is as precious as human life, so safety is paramount. While signage may not always work, it does act as a slight deterrent or may make one think twice.
Our hearts go out to the family and friends of those who have to bear this loss, the great outdoors has its magic, let us enjoy that safely.