The State authorities present a hypothetic scenario of the Tehri lake adventure festival being a major happening activity in the global tourism sector attracting visitors from across India and abroad. However, critics opine that with botch up having long been accepted as a part of the Government machinery in Uttarakhand, shortcomings in events like the Tehri lake adventure festival retain the potential of creating embarrassing situations for the authorities.
The shortcomings became evident at the Press conference addressed by tourism Minister Dinesh Dhanai when an official representative of the jet-ski fraternity said that a demonstration of the “quarter final of the world cup in jek-skiing” would also be among the activities slated to be held in the lake fest. When the mediapersons sought further detail about the international-level jet-skiing event, it became known that the activity was more of a recreational demonstration than competitive sport. With the representative being unable to explain the scenario clearly, the State tourism minister Dinesh Dhanai intervened to resolve the unclarity and “diversion” from the main subject.
The Minister may have provided some temporary “relief” but skeptics point out that there is possibility of official ineptness seen in past events also being witnessed this year.
It should be mentioned here that in 2014, the Tehri lake adventure festival was also marked by a hotair balloon catching fire above the dam reservoir on the one hand and a helicopter making a reportedly unauthorised landing in the Koti Colony here.
A department official recalls that earlier in a meeting during December 2015, the Chief Minister Harish Rawat had said that about Rs 100 crore had been invested in Tehri so the focus is meant to be mainly on securing returns and then making profits from the varied activities on and around the dam reservoir.
“The state authorities have spent crores of rupees on events like the Tehri festival but have ignored the fundamental issue of encouraging authentic culture and capitalising on the unique environment and cultural wealth of the state. The focus is more on providing recreational options like for water sports, which can be had in most Indian town” said an observer.
He further added, “it appears as if the culture of political interference and official inefficiency has been exacerbated by a type of identity problem as the state authorities focus more on facilitating mismatched actions like noisy jet skiing on the Tehri dam reservoir.” The official website accessible at uttarakhandtourism.gov.in states, “Tehri-Asia's biggest lake Festival is back with non-stop action and adventure, fun and frolic, entertainment and exitment (sic) ! Watch adventures experts showcase their aerial skills. The festival includes high octane music and dance performances and a grand display of fireworks on the evening of 16th October.” Observers doubt whether the state authorities have a clear idea about preserving and then nurturing the authentic culture and wealth of Uttarakhand which is being affected by frequent misprojections by the authorities, said the observer.