By Quaid Najmi
Mumbai, Feb 18 (IANS): The Maharashtra Directorate of Tourism (M-DoT) has slapped a notice on a private, 'unregistered' adventure sports outfit in connection with the deaths of an uncle-nephew duo on February 2 at the famed Hadbichi Shendi hillock in Nashik.
Simultaneously, all unregistered, unauthorised, ill-equipped, formal/informal groups engaging in such activities have come under the scanner of the state government, officials said.
The tough trek on Hadbichi Shendi hillock was organised by Indraprastha Trekkers Group (ITG), Ahmednagar, with around 17 participants, including some girls.
Two of the trekkers -- Anil S. Wagh, 35, and his nephew Mayur D. Mhaske, 22 -- had a fatal fall during descent, and a person named Pravin Pawar was injured while attempting to rescue them.
The M-DoT has taken serious cognisance of the double-tragedy which sent shockwaves among adventure sports lovers and organisers in the state.
The authorities have now learnt that the ITG was not a 'registered' or 'recognised' group, but yet it went ahead and organised the potentially hazardous trek on the Hadbichi Shendi hillock in Nashik.
"From August 2021, we had opened compulsory registration for all such adventures sports/tours/activities with a six-month deadline. Till date, the ITG has not registered itself," said M-DoT Joint Director Dhananjay D. Sawalkar.
He pointed out that a total of 25 adventure activities related to aerial, terrestrial and water sports have been listed for which registration is compulsory.
"However, though the deadline has passed, many organisations or groups have not yet registered themselves for conducting such adventure sports activities. We shall take stringent necessary action against them," Sawalkar said.
The M-DoT has demanded the ITG to provide its registration details, whether there are trained operators for their adventure treks, what kind of safety and security equipment/measures were in place during the February 2 trek and whether it follows the government norms.
Tourism department officials said that several popular adventures sports activities are undertaken in different parts of Maharashtra, but many of them are run by unregistered, unrecognised operators without proper trained personnel or safety protocols, with the sole intention of making a quick buck.
"Most such operators charge heavily for some of these approved adventure activities like hot-air ballooning, paragliding, jungle-treks, watersports, river rafting, snorkelling, parasailing, rappling, rock-climbing etc., plus it is not clear if their personnel are adequately trained/certified for such sports, whether they provide insurance/medical cover in case of accidents, etc," said an official, preferring anonymity.
Some unscrupulous, fly-by-night operators indulge in such thrilling but dangerous activities to make a quick buck while avoiding registration, insurance, medical or other fees, he pointed out.
A Mumbai private tours consultant, T. Asher, said that a new trend has emerged in recent years with hundreds of such big and small groups thriving via social media platforms or sheer word-by-mouth publicity.
"Most are unknown, unregistered or have shady credentials, they openly solicit thrill-seekers and adventurers through Facebook, WhatsApp, and other modes, with online payment options, often non-refundable, without proper accounting or approvals," Asher said.
On February 11, a young trekker, R. Babu, fell during an unsupervised climbing jaunt on the treacherous Cherad Hill in Palakkad, Kerala, and finally the Indian Army mounted a massive operation with expert teams from Chennai and Bengaluru to rescue him after he was stranded for over 48 hours.