Jaisalmer collector Pratap Singh has decorated his platter with innovative ideas to develop and promote tourism in Jaisalmer.
Ahead of the tourism season starting in Rajasthan, he is pushing hard to promote border tourism in Jaisalmer. He is in talks with top officials of Border Security Force (BSF) which is guarding the frontier, to develop tourism activities at Indo-Pak border in Babliyan border post on the lines of Nadabet in Gujarat.
Nadabet is the border location where retreat ceremony, similar to the Wagah Border ceremony, is held featuring the ceremonial lowering of the flag by BSF soldiers. Though unlike Wagah Border, there is no activities on Pakistan side.
“The government may also plan adventurous activities like zip-lining, shooting, and paintball along with displays of military equipment like missiles, tanks, and aircraft,” said a senior official.
Apart from that the district administration is also roping in BSF to develop tourist activities at Tanot Mata temple which remained undamaged amid heavy shelling in the historian 1971 war with Pakistan.
“There is a lot of scope in border tourism as tourists can have a real life thrill of being at sensitive places with armed forces guarding the border,” said a BSF official.
Pratap Singh, a 2016 batch IAS officer is a silent performer with innovative ideas. He is silently working towards improving tourist infrastructure and opening new tourism avenues to bolster the economy of Jaisalmer- dependent mainly on tourism.
The government is planning to promote Caravan camping near Tanot Mata temple and the famous Longewala Post which created base for army to win 1971 war. Only 120 Indian soldiers fought hard with 3,000 troops and tank regiment to defeat Pakistan. The real story was presented in the Border movie.
Curbing fraudulent listing of hotels on online booking sites
Pratap Singh is serious on taking action against fraudsters who list fake hotels and resorts on online sites and dupe people.
He said that district administration has approached popular online booking sites like Agoda, MakeMyTrip, Yatra.com, Booking.com and many others to retrain from listing any hotel and resort without valid physical verification of the proposed listing.
“We have come to know that fraudsters list names and pictures of hotels which are non existent and dupe money from tourists. When tourists visit Jaisalmer, they find themselves no where and file complaints against the travel portal. This is causing trouble for tourists and bad name for the place. We need to curb this practice,” he said.
Introduction of water sports at Gadsisar lake
The district administration is also planning to start water sports in Gadisar lake, which is an artificial lake getting water from Indira Gandhi canal.
“People here come to see dry desert. Then option of water sport will not only rejuvenate them but also will be a great attraction,” said a senior tourism department official.
He said that the annual revenue from tourism in Jaisalmer is around Rs 1,000 core and it has the potential to multiply five times with right interventions.
Division of land based sports and aero sports in two zones
The district administration has earmarked separate zones for land based sports like camel safari, jeep safari, quad biking and dune bashing while for aero sports like parasailing and paramotoring, a separate zone has been created.
“This has eased the pressure on the ecosystem of Sam desert. We are working towards minimising any harm to the ecological balance in the desert,” he said.
For the safety of tourists and ensure genuinity of vendors offering adventurous sports and other activities, the district have made registration of their firms compulsory. The firms have to provide all kind of safety gears before the tourist indulge in any sports activity.
“In case of camel safaris, animals have to be vaccinated timely,” Pratap Singh said.
Prakash Bhandari is a veteran journalist with over 50 years of experience. He has worked with The Times of India for 30 years and contributed to leading publications as well as international news agency AFP.
