HC tells Maha to take safety measures at all beaches

The Bombay High Court today asked the Maharashtra Government to post life guards at all the beaches in the state and undertake adequate safety measures, including warning signals and watchtowers, so as to prevent cases of drowning.
The direction was given by a bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka, which was hearing a public interest litigation filed by Janhit Manch, an NGO, on the issue of beach safety in the wake of a recent incident off Murud Janjira beach near Alibaug, in which 14 students, of which ten were girls, drowned earlier this year.
The bench also reprimanded the state government and Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) for failing to implement a Government Resolution passed in 2006 on measures to be taken to keep beaches secure so as to avoid any untoward incident.

The judges said that during the period (from 2006 till date) several people drowned at various beaches due to lack of adequate safety measures by the authorities concerned.
The high court asked the government to file an affidavit within a week after Government Pleader Abhinandan Vagyani sought time.
The matter has been posted for hearing on June 17.
On last occasion, the high court had said that Goa had deployed beach police, also known as coastal police, at their beaches and asked the Maharashtra government to also consider the same.