Court bans...

In the past decade, adventure sports companies have mushroomed in the state, a popular destination for tourists from around the country, offering everything from white water rafting to paragliding to ziplining with no regulatory oversight. White water rafting in Uttarakhand is valued at a yearly ₹75-80 crore.

It employs 5,000– 7,000 people including guides, cooks, instructors and drivers.

Kiran Todaria, president of the Indian Association of Professional Rafting Outfitters (IAPRO), says at least 300 rafting operators are active along a 36-km strretch of the Ganga. “It’s an industry that provides indirect jobs to no less than 10,000 families,” she said.