Uttarakhand has always been the hub of all the water sports activity, whenever there are any talks about white water rafting, people fondly think of Rishikesh. But now it is shocking to many that the high court has now ordered a ban on all the water sports activities including the most famous in the region, river water rafting and paragliding. The court has observed that all these activities were being carried out in absence of any policy and has given the time of two weeks to the state government to enact a law to regulate these adventure sports. The court kept in mind the deaths that are caused due to capsizing of boats and remarked that such activities should only be allowed while being under the supervision of highly trained professionals.
The statement of the court said that “Sports and pleasure cannot be permitted to end in disaster,” the court has observed this and has asked the state government to invite bids in order to conduct sporting activities in a transparent manner. Also the court has added, “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 court said.
