Navi Mumbai: Officials in Gharapuri village wherein Elephanta caves is situated had a meeting on Tuesday to discuss about the safety measures to be taken during the Christmas and New year time when the crowd increases.

Elephanta caves, which is a Unesco World heritage Site is visited by tourists from Gateway of India which take approximately an hour to reach the site depending on the nature of the sea.

“On an average, on the weekends, the site gets a crowd of close to 2000 to 3000 tourists which increases to 5000 to 6000 during Christmas and New Year time. Hence, it is important to be ready with all the precautions even before the vacation period starts,” former sarpanch of Gharapuri, Baliram Thakur, said. Thakur had organized for the meeting of the hotel owners, guides at the site, boat men along with the police official and maritime board officer.

“We advised the people about safety protocols each one should follow. The boat owners have been asked to service their boats and to follow all safety measures. They have been asked to not overload the boat. The guides and hotel owners have been told not to cheat any of the tourist and provide best service to the tourists. In short, it has been conveyed to them to make sure that each and every tourist who comes here has to go back home safely and that is a responsibility of each and every person of the village,” senior police inspector Nitin Badgujar from Mora police station said.

The guides and hotel owners have been told to not overcharge the tourists due to the large number of crowds visiting the place.