For 4th day, tourists barred from Dhanushkodi

Though the sea, which was rough for the past few days, subsided and the height of the tidal waves came down, tourists were barred entry for the fourth consecutive day.

As predicted by the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), earlier the sea was rough and there was high tide in the coastal regions of the southern districts.

Because of the rough waters, fishermen were asked not to venture into the sea and tourists were not allowed to go near the coastal areas.

The sea remained rough for three days, from Saturday to Monday, and on all the days, tourists were not allowed to visit beaches or take bath in the sea. 

Also, they were not allowed to visit the popular tourist attractions Dhanushkodi island, Vivekananda Rock and Thiruvalluvar statue.

However, the roughness in the sea subsided by Monday afternoon and normalcy returned. With the high tide gone, fishermen ventured into the sea on Tuesday morning. The ferry service to Vivekananda Rock and Thiruvalluvar statue also resumed.

Despite this, tourists were stopped at Pudhuroad area in Rameswaram. Barricades were set up and policemen sent back the visitors, saying do not have the permission to open the road leading to the sea.

Several tourists returned disappointed because of this. Because of the absence of visitors, Arichalmunai in Dhanushkodi wore a deserted look.