PANAJI: The Goa tourism department on Friday suspended all paragliding activities – motorised and non-motorised – throughout the state with immediate effect. The move comes after the death of a lady from Pune and the paragliding operator, at Keri in North Goa, a few days ago.
In an order, tourism director Kedar Naik also ordered a review of all activities to check if the operators are following safety standards. “All police officers and persons in charge of police stations within their respective jurisdictions are hereby directed to assist in the enforcement of this order. Any person, company, association, firm, or any other entity that fails to comply with this order or obstructs any person acting under its authority shall be liable to a fine of Rs 50,000 and subject to penal action under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023,” Naik said in the order.
He said the department will undertake a review of all the existing registrations issued under the Goa Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 1982, pertaining to paragliding activities throughout Goa, to ensure compliance with the requisite safety standards.
“All operators engaged in paragliding activities, motorised and non-motorised, have been asked to submit the prescribed documentation to the department for inspection,” Naik said. However, a stakeholder said the tourism department lacks qualified experts in paragliding who can verify if the paragliding operators adhere to safety standards.
Paragliding is a high-risk adventure sport that depends on wind, altitude, temperature, and several other parameters that cannot be checked through documentation, said the stakeholder.