For Tourism Sake, Himachal Is Copying Kashmir’s Houseboats, Shikaras

SRINAGAR: The government of Himachal Pradesh is readying to introduce water body tourism in the state on the analogy of Kashmir’s Dal Lake.

The HP government is contemplating to introduce shikaras, houseboats and cruise boats under a new scheme of tourism department, in its major water bodies which are mainly the reservoirs of the hydropower projects, besides promoting the water sports, Hindustan Times reported.

The proposal to introduce the shikaras and houseboats at the Maharana Pratap Sagar (Pong Dam) in Kangra district on the lines of Dal Lake is expected to become a major hit in tourism sector in North India, HT reported.

It reported that the Himachal Pradesh government has approached the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to allow setting up tourism infrastructure along the water bodies.

The NTPC operates 300-megawatt Kol Dam Hydroproject while the BBMB operates Bhakra Power Project and Pong Dam project.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had recently asked the officers to prepare a new policy to promote Chamera, Pong, Bhakra and Koldam from a tourism point of view.

Notably, tourism constitutes seven percent of Himachal’s GDP and 14.42 percent of direct and indirect employment to the total employment in the state.

To develop new tourist destinations, the state government had implemented a new scheme “Nai Rahein Nai Manzilein” in the year 2018-19 to develop the unexplored areas of the state from tourism point of view.

The government is further mulling to develop infrastructure for promoting water sports activities and other tourism related activities along these water bodies in the state.

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