Mumbai: The Maharashtra Cabinet on Wednesday cleanses adventure tourism policies for the country, where the regulatory framework will be designed for such activities by considering the safety of tourists.
According to policies, operators in the state who want to carry out this activity must register with the State Tourism Department by meeting several criteria.
“We want this activity to be carried out legally by registered operators with all safety guidelines in place.
The security of tourists is the top priority,” said Aaditya Thackeray, Minister of Tourism.
He said that separate regulations have been prepared for activities related to land, air and water.
A senior official from the department said that because the policy was new, the state would provide temporary registration for this operator, after which they must ensure that the final registration was obtained by meeting all registered down requirements.
“This is done to ensure that there are no fly-by-night operators who carry out such activities without adequate safety protocols.
Detailed guidelines such as having trained staff, medical assistance, safety equipment quality will be cleaned before the final registration is given,” the official said.
Officials said that the fatal accident of tourists during paragliding or trekking with an undere verified operator encouraged the department to produce the policy.
The level of division and state-level committees have been made that will monitor policy implementation.
“Unregistered agencies will not be allowed to operate.
And if they found operating, police actions will begin against them,” said an official.
Officials said that the policy would not apply to competition, professional expedition and forest activities and wildlife because they were regulated by the Ministry of Forestry.