Take Sundatty falls off Google Maps: Residents

COIMBATORE: In a bizarre turn of events villagers of Sundatty, nestled in the lush reserve forest, have appealed to authorities to remove their hamlet from the highly used Google Maps.

Blame it on Google Maps. Or else why the Sundatty Falls in Kotagiri is attracting tourists in hordes even though it’s a no entry zone as per the forest department orders. The department has barred tourists from visiting the falls in view of risks involved.

Blame it on ‘google map’ for the huge turnout of visitors, mainly youngsters and college students. The come for the thrill of travelling the path less travelled through the wild with the aid of technology.

“By using Google’s route map, the tourists inadvertently reach the waterfalls in the reserve forests braving threats of wild animals along the way. So many have drowned in the water falls, caught unaware in wild swirls. It would be better, if the route map to the falls is taken down. Several websites have also wrongly projected the falls as a tourist spot,” said R Selvakumar, Forest Range Officer, Kattabettu Range.

Barely two months ago, two college students met with their watery grave by visiting the falls in violation of forest department rules. As there are at least three routes leading to the falls, the youth give a slip to the forest department staff posted in entry points to the falls. During weekends, when there is a surge in tourists to the hills, the forest department enhances patrol to prevent trespassing. Several boards have also been placed to warn people against coming to the falls.

Fed up with frequent incidents of drowning deaths, the villagers of Sundatty too have begun to worry that their locality is gaining notoriety for tragedies. They have now made a persistent pitch to either remove the waterfalls from the route map of Google Maps at least temporarily or develop adequate safety arrangements to prevent life loss in the falls.

Forest department staff nearby a board warning trespassers.