The East Midnapore district administration has introduced new regulations to ensure tourist safety during adventure sports at the popular sea beaches of Digha and Mandarmani. Officials said the decision was taken after repeated concerns over safety during activities such as paragliding, speedboat rides and beach bike rides.
A meeting was recently held between district officials and representatives of organisations that operate adventure sports in the two coastal destinations. During the meeting, the administration instructed all operators to strictly follow government rules and place the highest priority on tourist safety.
Officials said that Digha and Mandarmani attract thousands of tourists from across West Bengal during weekends, holidays, and peak travel seasons. Apart from sea bathing, adventure rides such as paragliding and speedboat trips have become major attractions for visitors.
Past accidents raised safety concerns
However, several incidents in the past raised serious questions about safety arrangements. A few years ago, a tourist from Murshidabad died after colliding with an electric pole while paragliding in Mandarmani. Following the incident, paragliding was suspended for some time before it resumed later from the middle area of the sea.
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Even after operations resumed, complaints were repeatedly made that safety rules were not always being followed by operators. The administration also received several complaints regarding the functioning of different adventure sports organisations.
Sea travel arrangements, particularly speedboats and motorised rubber boats, also came under scrutiny. In one such incident a few years ago, several tourists were seriously injured after being hit by motorised rubber boats while bathing in the sea.
Designated zones and strict safety rules
In response, the district administration has decided that adventure sports will now be conducted only from designated locations. According to officials, a total of five spots have been identified - three in Digha and two in Mandarmani.
Adventure sports operators will have to conduct rides from these specific zones and follow a rotation system so that each organisation gets equal opportunity while ensuring safer operations.
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The administration has also directed operators to strictly follow government safety guidelines. These include providing life jackets to tourists, maintaining specified distances during rides, and ensuring proper use of safety equipment.
Officials said regular monitoring will be carried out to ensure compliance.
Additional District Magistrate (Zilla Parishad) Manas Mandal said that a meeting had been held with organisations conducting adventure sports with the aim of ensuring tourist safety and allowing visitors to enjoy the sea properly. He added that all operators were asked to conduct rides following government rules and guidelines.
The administration expects the new measures to strengthen tourist safety and bring greater discipline to coastal tourism activities in the region.
