Come April, Himachal to have two centres for water sports

Vijay C Roy

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 27

Come April, adventure enthusiasts can enjoy jet skiing, jetovators and electric hydrofoil facilities at Larji Dam reservoir and Tattapani in Himachal Pradesh.

After being cynosure of the world for paragliding, the state government is targeting adventure and experiential water sports to attract tourists not only from the country but from across the globe.

“We will deploy 16 jet skies, 12 jetovators and an electric hydrofoil each at Larji Dam reservoir and Tattapani near Shimla. Both facilities are likely to be operational by April 16. The proposed facilities will not only boost adventure tourism but also experiential tourism in the state,” said Col Neeraj Rana, Director, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS), Manali.

The total project cost to develop these two water centres is around Rs 6 crore and the ABVIMAS is undertaking the required infrastructure and facilities to develop it. Tourists will be provided all modern facilities such as adventurous water skiing and jetovators.

According to Rana, the facilities at Larji Dam reservoir and Tattapani will act as a trailblazer for the other entrepreneurs to explore similar kind of facilities across the state.

He said it will go a long way in promoting adventure tourism in the state. Taking a step in this direction, the state government will organise Asian Rafting Championship in Manali for the first time. The event will be organised from October 7-17 on the Beas.

He said Bir Billing, near Baijnath in Kangra district, would host paragliding pre-world cup from March 31 to April 5. This will be the first major tournament Bir Billing will organise after the 2015 world cup. It is expected that 100 professional pilots from 28 countries will compete for the pre-world cup title. It is among the world’s top 10 paragliding sites.

Besides Bir Billing, the other paragliding sites which have been notified and operational in the state are at Dharamsala, Bilaspur, Parasher Lake and Manali.

Another paragliding site would be inaugurated soon. “Himachal has an immense potential and by setting up two water sports centres, the state government has taken a great initiative. To tap this potential, we have also set up paragliding facility at Junga near Shimla,” said Arun Rawat, proprietor, The Glide Inn (TGI). It is an eco-friendly venture of Himalayan Exotica, a pro-active company engaged in the promotion of eco-friendly tourism and adventure sports in Himachal Pradesh.

The company brings paragliding, Treeventure (a host of trees-centric exciting and unique adventure activities), trekking trails, heritage walks and luxury cottages and tents.

A senior state government official said considering the climatic conditions and geography of Himachal Pradesh, the state government is offering several adventure and recreational activities such as paragliding, river rafting, trekking in forests and rock climbing.

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