Uttarakhand High Court Bans all Water Sports ActivitiesTop Stories

June 22, 2018 15:56
Uttarakhand High Court Bans all Water Sports Activities

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Uttarakhand High Court has banned all water sports, paragliding, and white river rafting in the state until a policy is framed to regulate these activities.

The order which is likely to have far-reaching implications for Uttarakhand's adventure tourism sector, dated June 18, the court directed the state government to "prepare a transparent policy in this regard within a period of two weeks".

The court besides took note of rafting deaths every year due to the capsizing of a boat and said that it should only be permitted by extremely drilled professionals.

The court remarked that "sports for pleasure cannot be permitted to end in disaster", adding that the state government could not license the use of rivers without fixing sensible charges and be inviting bids in a transparent procedure. Tourism must be promoted but it is needed to be regulated, the court said.

"We are shocked to know that the state government is permitting camping sites on river beds. It pollutes the environment and ecology of the river and the surrounding areas," the division bench of Justices Rajiv Sharma and Lok Pal Singh said.

It said that launching points of river rafting are clogged with traffic and directed the government to not permit the use of transport right up to the water of rivers.

"Huge rafts are placed on vehicles of a small size. The vehicles on which the rafts are carried out are taken directly near the water itself," is ascertained.

The commandments came while hearing a public interest litigation filed by a resident of Rishikesh Hari Om Kashyap, alleging that impermanent constructions are being set up on the banks of Ganga and rafting is carried out by private entrepreneurs who were ignoring norms.

"The sanctity of the river Ganga is not maintained by the respondent-state by permitting the lease of river beds. The raw sewage/sewerage is permitted to directly flow into the river. The state government till date has not enacted any law to regulate white river rafting, paragliding or water sports," it said.

"Paragliding is equally dangerous if not regulated. The water sports in big lakes like Tehri Dam can prove fatal. These are required to be regulated," said the court.

The HC said that river rafting, paragliding is permitted even without fixing the minimum rates and display of the same by organizers. "The state government has not pointed out precisely what is the yardstick, guidelines and parameters to sanction the lease in favor of private parties on the river beds including for boating/rafting, paragliding, and other water sports," observed the bench.

By Sowmya Sangam

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