Bilaspur set to become a tourism hub: Minister

Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani inaugurating the three-day Jal Tarang Mahotsav in Bilaspur on Friday. The event is being organised near Luhnu Ground alongside Gobind Sagar Lake. The festival features competitions in canoeing, kayaking, rafting, paragliding, parasailing and other adventure sports.

Dharmani arrived on a cruise ship on the lake to flag off the water sports activities, marking the formal launch of the festival. Over 200 participants from northern states, including Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand, are competing in the events.

The minister also visited exhibition stalls set up by various departments to showcase their achievements and programmes. He inaugurated the Red Cross and Aajeevika fairs on the occasion.

He stated the district is being prepared to provide all essential facilities to tourists, with additional support for home-stay initiatives. Villages including Bahadurpur, Kothadhar, Bandla and Sayul Khas, which have significant tourism potential, will be developed in a phased manner. “A major tourism hub is being developed in Auhar with an outlay of over Rs 100 crore,” Dharmani said.