pune with weather extremities increasing over the last decade a growing number of tourists are finding themselves trapped at popular tourist spots during the monsoon despite repeated warnings by the india meteorological department imd regarding heavy rainfall and flooding experts told toirecent incidents of tourists venturing to precarious waterfalls and fort regions in maharashtra serve as a case in point as well as tourists getting stranded in the himachal pradesh floods recentlysyed zakir hussaini treasurer travel agents association of india taai pune chapter said despite tour operators suspending trips to locations like uttarakhand and himachal during monsoons tourists ignore caution and put themselves in danger tour companies under taai have stopped tours to the aforementioned states during monsoons most stranded tourists are those who travel independently and free of a tour operator and assistancehussaini said that trusted travel companies always intimate tourists regarding the expected weather situation at the destination where the trip has been planned however often tourists do not heed the advice it is true for pilgrimages to parts of north india all companies follow such protocols based on past experience where tourists were stranded due to an extreme weather calamity he saidtravel firms said tourists often disregard weather forecasts and imd advisories cautioning against travelrishikesh pujari director of vihar travels said reputed travel companies do not plan such tours during monsoon we have no trips to hilly locations like manali shimla nainital and char dham during july to august travellers often do not heed our advice despite being in the know of possible inclement weather at destinationsweather experts said that both tourists and travel companies need to take action to prevent such incidents and prioritize safetyanupam kashyapi head of weather forecasting division imd pune told toi it is important to stay informed by checking weather forecasts provided by reliable sources such as the imd and local authorities paying attention to warnings and acting accordingly can help avoid dangerous situations secondly one must opt for tour operators with a strong safety track record reputable companies align their itineraries with weather conditions and adhere to guidelines provided by weather authorities prioritizing the wellbeing of their clientshe said that adequate preparation is also crucial including packing appropriate clothing rain gear and emergency supplies