Margao: The railway protection force (RPF) has intensified its crackdown on tourists illegally trekking along railway tracks to reach Dudhsagar Falls. At least 32 visitors were fined a total of Rs 16,000 during a special drive last Sunday, even as authorities warn that the monsoon treks continue to endanger lives and train operations.Last week, a special task force led by the SI of RPF, Castle Rock, carried out surprise checks in the jurisdiction of Dudhsagar and Sonaulim railway stations. The offenders were booked under Section 147 of the railways act (Jan Vishwas Act) and fined Rs 500 each.South western railway (SWR), Hubballi division, has prohibited public access to Dudhsagar falls via the railway route in the interest of tourist safety. However, officials said that despite restrictions, some visitors enter the tracks through the forest in the monsoon, when water levels at the falls can rise without warning and visibility along the ghat section is poor.Surveillance in the area has since been stepped up with the RPF’s Belagavi unit and the Vasco RPF post overseeing on-ground monitoring.The enforcement drive follows a long-standing ban on the railway route to Dudhsagar, tightened after a 2023 incident in which over 1,000 tourists swarmed the tracks in the Braganza ghat section. The incident prompted the South Goa district magistrate to prohibit entry to the falls through unauthorised routes. Dudhsagar station has never been a designated passenger halt; trains stop there only for technical reasons such as crew changes or crossings.Railway police and forest officials in Goa and Karnataka have repeatedly warned that trekking along railway tracks, trespassing on railway property, and endangering railway safety are punishable offences. Tourists have also been known to ride goods trains or get off express trains at unscheduled points.SWR has appealed to the public not to enter railway tracks or other prohibited zones illegally.
