On May 14, a video and photos that went viral on social media showed a few tourists from Haryana boozing in their SUV that was parked in 2-3-foot-deep Ganga waters in Rishikesh. Passersby spotted the tourists and complained to the police.
On June 5, five tourists from Haryana were arrested on charges of drinking alcohol on the Triveni ghat of the Ganga in Rishikesh.
Young tourists, mostly from the National Capital Region, Haryana and Punjab, visit Rishikesh for rafting. In 2014, Rishikesh-based social activist Hari Om Kashyap filed a petition before the Uttarakhand high court, underlining that rafting in Ganga waters is carried out without any law. A division bench of the court, in its order on Thursday, said sanctity of river is compromised as people are seen (in photos) drinking alcohol on the riverside and partying.
The court banned rafting until a policy is framed to regulate water sports. The order, which also covers paragliding, has come as a shocker to the adventure sports industry.
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