Safety at beaches: Home Guards deployed

To check casualties during the rainy season, the district administration has deployed home guards at eight beaches across Mangaluru.

A total of 24 home guards are deployed at the eight beaches —Ullal, Someshwar, Mogaveerpatna, Tanneerbhavi I, Tanneerbhavi II, Panambur, Sasihithlu and Mulki, to prevent visitors from venturing into the rough sea. The home guards will work round the clock.

In Ullal, they will coordinate with the Jeeva Rakshaka Dala and local fishermen. In fact, the home guards were deployed in beaches as per the direction of the district administration last year. Accordingly, the casualties were prevented at the beaches.

The home guards will caution the visitors from entering the water, as many tourists do not have knowledge of the depth of the sea. In the interest of promotion of tourism and to protect the tourist, the district administration has taken this initiative. The Home Guards have been provided with public address system to caution the tourists.

Many tourists venture into the rough sea in spite of fishermen warning them not to do so. “The idea of deploying home guards is that people take men in uniform seriously. Our intention is to ensure zero casualties,” said District Commandant Home Guards Dr Muralee Mohan Choontharu.

Danger zone signboards are kept 50 meters away from the beaches. Most of the home guards have undergone a month-long training in Bengaluru, to tackle flood situations. As many are not expert swimmers in the sea, lifeguards and local fishermen will also join hands in the venture.