To promote adventure tourism in Jammu region, government has decided to start water sports at Ranjeet Sagar Dam reservoir at Plahia Creek and River Chenab in Pull-Doda.

Minister for Tourism Nawang Rigzin Jora who chaired a meeting of Tourism, Forest and Wild Life departments today reviewed the arrangements made for the purpose at the identified places.

Jora said that the national reputed Goa Water Sports engaged for consultancy has already submitted its report for exploring water sports activities like power boating, kayaking, kiosk, wind surfacing, sailing boats and ferry services. 

He said in the first phase such activities would be started at Ranjeet Sagar Dam and Pull-Doda, adding that the infrastructure and services for the water sports would be created under Private-Public Partnership (PPP) mode.

The Minister said that the starting of Water Sports would not only attract the tourists but also provide employment to local youth. He said necessary Water Sports training would be imparted to the intending youth.

Commissioner Secretary, Tourism and Culture Atal Duloo, Special Secretary Tourism, Altaf Ahmad, Director Tourism Jammu, R. S. Mehta, Chief Conservator, Forest Wild Life Upinder Pachnanda, Conservator Forest, Suresh Kumar Gupta, Joint Director Planning, Parvez Handoo, Deputy Director Tourism, Jammu Arvind Kotwal and other senior officers of tourism department attended the meeting.

Jora asked concerned officers to come up with a comprehensive action plan  to achieve something big thing for promotion of the water sports, and assured that there was no constraint of funds for the purpose. He directed concerned functionaries to complete necessary formalities for purchase of life saving equipments and other related infrastructure well in time so that the water sports would be started without further delay.

The Meeting also discussed threadbare issues like forest and wild life clearance and it was felt that there was minor involvement of these clearances for exploring water games in the region. 

The meeting also decided that paddle boat activity would be started in Mansar and Suransar lakes, for which the Minister directed authorities to complete codal formalities with wild life department.

Jora instructed the concerned to identify the locations in Jammu city vicinity for Para-sailing and Para-gliding so that these activities would be also started for attraction of tourists.

Greater Kashmir