Ahmedabad, Mar 12 (PTI) The Gujarat government on Tuesday informed the high court that a high-level committee has been constituted to draft a legal framework, certification and enforcement proceedings for adventure sports and amusement parks in the state.
A 13-member committee has been given three months to come out with the legal framework, certification and enforcement proceedings for such activities, Advocate General Kamal Trivedi told the division bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Aniruddha Mayee.
The court was hearing a suo motu PIL on the Harni boat tragedy, in which 12 students and two teachers of New Sunrise School at Waghodia near Vadodara drowned after a boat capsized in Harni Lake on the outskirts of Vadodara city on January 18.
"Tourism activity in the state is increasing, and people have started utilising boating activities, amusement parks, adventure sports, and ropeways at religious and tourist places," Trivedi told the division bench.
The advocate general informed that the state urban development and urban housing development department has decided to constitute a high-level committee to lay a specific policy for legal framework, certification and enforcement of various activities of adventure sports and amusement parks, roadways for religious and tourist places and boating in riverfronts, lakes, and other boating activities in rivers.
The committee has been given three months to draft a legal framework, certification and enforcement proceedings, he said.
The state government has also framed rules under the Gujarat Inland Vessels Act, mandating registration and certification of boats, he said.
"Rules have not been framed, but draft rules have been finalised and will come out very soon. As far as the committee is concerned, its fulcrum is wider covering all types of activities," Trivedi said.
The court said that after taking cognisance of the matter, it has to ensure that incidents like the Harni boat tragedy do not recur in the future.
"Our effort is also that with cooperation, something concrete should come out," it said.