New water tourism and adventure sports policy for UP

State government to develop nine heritage buildings as heritage tourism units on public private partnership (PPP) model to give a boost to tourism in Uttar Pradesh

LUCKNOW UP government on Tuesday decided to implement its Water Tourism and Adventure Sports Policy-2023 and develop nine heritage buildings as heritage tourism units on public private partnership (PPP) model to give a boost to tourism in the state.

Tourism minister Jaiveer Singh said necessary guidelines would be worked out for giving licences for tourism and adventure sports and a standard operation procedure (SOP) would be developed within 60 days of the release of this policy. (Pic for representation)

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath presided over a meeting of the state cabinet that also approved a proposal to set up automated testing stations (ATS) to provide fitness certificates in 16 divisions/districts in the first phase.

Briefing media persons, tourism minister Jaiveer Singh said the UP Water Tourism and Adventure Sports Policy would be effective for 10 years and be applicable on all inland, air and water routes, dams/reservoirs, lakes, rivers, ponds and water bodies in UP.

Hills in the Vindhya and the Bundelkhand regions, about 16,620 sq km in the foothills of the Himalayas as well as forest areas, rivers and waterfalls, dams, reservoirs and lakes had a lot of potential for water-based tourism, adventure sports and water sports, he said.

Adventure sports units would be developed at divisional levels. UP State Tourism Development Corporation and the Ex-servicemen Welfare Corporation would sign a memorandum of understanding to include ex-servicemen in the adventure sports units, he said.

He said necessary guidelines would be worked out for giving licences for tourism and adventure sports and a standard operation procedure (SOP) would be developed within 60 days of the release of this policy.

The state cabinet approved a proposal to develop 75% or completely damaged heritage buildings/forts on 90-year lease for development as heritage tourism units. The heritage buildings would be developed as per the business plan and have heritage hotel, resort, museum, banquet hall and adventure tourism centre, said the minister.

These include Chhatar Manzil, Lucknow (9.88 acres); Chunar Fort, Mirzapur (21.64 acres), Barua Sagar Fort (7.39 acres); Kothi Gulistan-e-Iram, Lucknow (1.35 acres); Kothi Darshan Vilas, Lucknow (1.35 acres), Kothi Roshan-ud-Daula, Qaiserbagh, Lucknow (1.35 acres), Barsana Jal Mahal, Mathura (1 acres); Shukla Talab, Kanpur (6.90 acres) and Tikait Rai Baradari, Bithoor, Kanpur (0.217 acres).

Singh said UP STDC had 86 Rahi tourism bungalows and the cabinet had decided to develop 31 of the closed or loss-making bungalows on PPP model to provide better facilities to tourists. A final decision had now been taken to develop 10 tourist bungalows on PPP model on 30-year lease extendable to another 30 years plus two years for construction work etc.

These included tourist bungalows situated at Sonauli, Maharajganj, Bateshwar (Agra), Gokulgaon, Mathura, Kalinjar Banda, Mathura, Radhakund (Mathura), Sandi Dahar Lake, Hardoi, Neemsar (Sitapur), Deogarh, Lalitpur and Bhadohi.

Automated testing stations

The cabinet also approved a proposal to invite bids on e-tender portal for setting up automated testing stations, as per the policy released on September 2, 2022. These stations will issue fitness certificates for vehicles. It was observed that the state did not have sufficient number of such stations and a decision to set up at one ATS in all divisions barring Lucknow, Kanpur and Agra, was taken. One applicant may be eligible to set up a maximum of two ATS’.