Uttarakhand readying adventure sports policy

Dehradun, Aug 7: The Uttarakhand government is preparing a draft policy for promoting adventure sports in the state, an official said on Tuesday.

The policy will lay out guidelines for conducting adventure sports, quality standards for equipment. It would be presented before the state Cabinet for its ratification at the earliest. 

There is already a policy for river rafting, and now the government is preparing a policy for trekking, aero-sports and other adventure sports "so as to harness the vast possibilities the hill state has to offer while also ensuring safety and security of the adventure sports enthusiasts", the official told IANS.

The policy being prepared by the Tourism Department is in its final stage and Tourism Secretary Dilip Jawalkar says it would ensure big-ticket promotion of adventure sports on one hand while also ensuring that security standards are maintained. 

The policy would only include non-motor sports as the sports involving motor machines have to take permission from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).