RAFTING LOVERS from all over the world will leave New Zealand and reach Rishikesh, this big work is going to happen, know the plan…

Dehradun:- Rishikesh is ready to emerge as a rafting leader on the world map. Actually, all this is going to happen with the help of the central government and the cooperation of the operators. The central government is going to spend Rs 3,295 crore for the development of various tourist destinations across the country. The good thing is that Uttarakhand has put forth its strong stand in the field of rafting and has agreed to the Central Government to set up a state-of-the-art rafting base station in Rishikesh. For which the state is expected to get Rs 100 crore from the Center soon.

Every year more than 15 lakh tourists go rafting in Rishikesh: Rishikesh is most liked in the country for rafting. This can be estimated from the fact that every year more than 15 lakh tourists come to Rishikesh for rafting in the river Ganga. Foreign tourists also contribute about eight to 10% of this. The surprising thing is that such a huge market for rafting has been created by private operators with their hard work and till now the government's role in it has been minor. Experts associated with rafting in Uttarakhand for the last three decades are also seen saying this.

The special thing is that Rishikesh is already the first choice of tourists for rafting in the country. Foreign tourists have also been arriving here in large numbers. But the state government's neglect for the last 30 years is dulling the thrill of whitewater rafting. However, now after the attention received from the Central Government, Rishikesh is expected to dominate the international scene in this area.

The pure stream of Mother Ganga gives a special identity to Rishikesh, situated in the foothills of the Himalayas. Though this area is known all over the world as Yoga City, but Rishikesh has also achieved its own status as a spiritual center. Rishikesh, the gateway to Chardham Yatra, has got recognition for another reason and that is white water rafting.

Rishikesh will compete with Queenstown of New Zealand: Queenstown of New Zealand is best known for river rafting in the whole world. River rafting enthusiasts from all over the world come here to do rafting on international standards with state-of-the-art facilities. This is the reason why this area generates an economy of 80 million dollars due to river rafting.

18 million dollar market of river rafting in Rishikesh: On the other hand, the most favorite place for river rafting in India is Rishikesh. There is a market of river rafting here worth 18 million dollars. R. Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretary, Planning, Uttarakhand Government, says that-

Important information related to rafting on river Ganga in Rishikesh

In Rishikesh, rafting is done mainly from 4 places on river Ganga. These include Kodiyala, Marine Drive, Brahmapuri and Shivpuri. Rafting is about 36 kilometers from Kodiyala. In this, around ₹ 2000 per person is charged. Rafting is available for 22 kilometers from Marine Drive. In this, ₹ 1500 per person is charged. For rafting of 18 kilometers from Shivpuri, one has to pay ₹ 800 to ₹ 1000. For 9 kilometers from Brahmapuri, one has to pay Rs 600 to 750 per person. Vijay rafting on river Ganga is conducted from 1st September to 30th June. Rafting is stopped during the monsoon season.

Most of the tourists come for rafting in the Ganga River: However, apart from the Ganga River in Uttarakhand, rafting is also being done on Kali River, Alaknanda, Yamuna, Tons, Pindar and Bhagirathi. But most of the tourists come for rafting on river Ganga. The reason for this is that rafting is close to Rishikesh city. Apart from this, domestic and foreign tourists coming to Rishikesh from all over the world for yoga also come for rafting. Not only this, apart from the tourists coming for Chardham Yatra, the tourists coming to Rishikesh's ashram and spirituality also enjoy rafting.

Problems related to rafting in Rishikesh: Lakhs of tourists are coming for rafting in river Ganga, but if seen, the government has not been able to do anything special for rafting in Rishikesh. The biggest problem here remains traffic. Due to this, foreign tourists are gradually becoming disillusioned with this place. It takes a lot of time for the raft to reach the river Ganga. Due to traffic on the road, tourists have to wait for a long time for rafting. There is neither proper parking arrangement here nor any facility has been provided to the rafting operators. Not only this, there is no provision of toilet and changing room for tourists. Amidst all these problems, these necessary arrangements will be completed while preparing the rafting base station. Apart from this, convenient conditions will also be created for the tourists coming to the rafting base station.

Safe rafting will be priority: Safety policy is most important during adventure sports. In such a situation, some important steps have to be taken to make rafting safe. The most important thing in this is to train the people associated with rafting. It is necessary to provide training to those doing rafting as per international standards. Along with this, the availability of all safety equipment will also have to be fulfilled. For this, the standards made by various international organizations including the World Rafting Federation will have to be implemented.

Facilities in the name of rafting are negligible: The number of operators providing rafting in river Ganga is around 250. About 1000 rafts are run through these. Ganga River Rafting Management Committee controls this entire activity. Now a ban has also been imposed on giving permit to any new operator in the Ganga river.

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