Kullu rafting operators take out march
KULLU, MARCH 29
About 500 youth took out a protest march under the banner of the Kullu River Rafting Association here today demanding resumption of adventure sport activities which have been lying shut for nearly two months in Kullu.
Halted after HC order on Feb 3
- The sports activities had come to a standstill on February 3 following the orders of the High Court
- The death of a 12-year boy from Bengaluru at a paragliding site was the trigger
- River Rafting Association president Shyam Attri said about 10,000 persons had been rendered jobless due to its closure
They also sat on a dharna and submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner Ashutosh Garg. They said they would be forced to resort to a chakka jam if river rafting was not restored within two days and its responsibility would lie on the government and the administration.
Addressing the dharna, Kullu River Rafting Association president Shyam Attri said about 10,000 persons had been rendered jobless due to the closure of rafting. He said there was no business due to coronavirus for the past two years. Now the tourism season had commenced, but the youth are unemployed due to the indifference of the government.
“We have met the Education Minister and Chief Minister many times, but only assurances have been given and nothing concrete has been done to resolve the matter,” Attri said.
The president said either the government should provide them some employment or that generated on their own should not be snatched.
He said the district administration and the department should complete the formalities so that their livelihood was restored. He alleged that thousands of youths have become unemployed due to the lackadaisical approach of the department.
There are about 520 rafts, 500 paragliders, 300 snow scooters and about 300 mountain bikes providing employment to thousands of people. Besides, many people earn livelihood through rock-climbing, rappelling, river crossing, rock climbing, hot air ballooning, zorbing balls, rolling balls, water balls, bungee jumping, etc.
All these activities had come to a standstill on February 3 following the orders of the High Court to stop all adventure sports activities, which were being conducted without rules and licence. The high court had also sought a compliance report.
While many of these activities are being carried out here for decades, there were no specific guidelines and policies for many adventure sports and their commercial operations.
A rafting operator said over the years, various governments had done nothing to provide employment to the locals and now the government was not assisting them in sustaining the livelihood opportunities generated by the locals themselves.
