On the backdrop of the recent incident wherein a two-year-old girl drowned to death in the swimming pool of a private bungalow in Lonavla, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) officials have warned private bungalows registered under the MTDC ‘bed and breakfast scheme’ to follow norms prescribed by the MTDC. Private bungalows stand to lose their MTDC registration if there are unauthorised swimming pools in the premises, the MTDC has warned.
Mausami Kose, regional manager, MTDC Pune, said that bungalows registered under the ‘bed and breakfast’ scheme have to follow rules and regulations issued by the MTDC. “They have to strictly adhere to the norms related to noise pollution, safety and security, and hygiene and cleanliness. If anybody is found violating these norms and there is a complaint about the same, our team will take necessary steps and the bungalows might lose their MTDC registration,” Kose said.
The MTDC diktat comes in the wake of the death by drowning incident which brought to the fore the safety and security measures at the said bungalow in Lonavla. MTDC officers said that the bungalow in question was not registered with the MTDC which is why safety and security norms were not followed. What’s more, a recent survey carried out by the Lonavla municipal council found that nearly 50% of the 997-odd swimming tanks in various private bungalows are unauthorised and constructed without taking necessary permission from the municipal council. Pandit Patil, chief officer, Lonavla municipal council, said, “In a recent survey, we found that over 50% of the swimming tanks are constructed illegally and hence, we have issued notices to them regarding the same.”
On July 13 this year, a two-year-old boy had drowned to death in the swimming pool of a private bungalow in Lonavla just a day before he and his twin sister could celebrate their birthday. In another incident, a 13-year-old boy had died of electrocution while emerging from a swimming pool. Such regrettable incidents have tarnished the image of the Lonavla tourism industry.
{{/usCountry}}On July 13 this year, a two-year-old boy had drowned to death in the swimming pool of a private bungalow in Lonavla just a day before he and his twin sister could celebrate their birthday. In another incident, a 13-year-old boy had died of electrocution while emerging from a swimming pool. Such regrettable incidents have tarnished the image of the Lonavla tourism industry.
{{/usCountry}}Immediately after these deaths, the municipal council instructed that a detailed report of authorised and unauthorised swimming pools built in private bungalows and villas in Lonavla be prepared. The municipal council suspected that considering the high rent for private bungalows with swimming pools, many owners had constructed illegal swimming pools without taking care of safety standards.
The council has now appealed that private villas should not be rented without checking the necessary safety measures. According to the municipal council, tourists book private bungalows and villas as the owners allow them to avoid all restrictions in exchange for some extra money unlike registered hotels where tourists have to follow all the rules and regulations. According to the council, private bungalows too need to be regularised by the concerned authority. For instance, it is necessary to pay attention to noise as it disturbs the citizens living nearby.