45-day Dharoi adventure fest inaugurated
Gandhinagar: Chief minister
Bhupendra Patel
on Friday inaugurated Dharoi Adventure Fest, a 45-day event at the Dharoi dam in Mehsana district.
Being held for the first time, the festival will feature activities like parasailing, rock climbing, bouldering, trekking and hiking trails, mountain biking, cycling, and camping, among others.
The chief minister also took a speed boat ride at the Dharoi dam, located about 75km from Ahmedabad.
State tourism minister Mulu Bera and other officials also took a tour of the adventure zone and inaugurated a tent city that has been erected at the site for boarding and lodging facilities for visitors. The city has 21 tents and an air-conditioned dormitory with more than 100 beds, along with an air-conditioned cafeteria, an official statement said.
The Dharoi dam and its vicinity areas are being developed as a sustainable tourism and pilgrimage destination as envisaged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and it will be done in three phases, the govt said on Friday. The spiritual, adventure, eco, and recreational activities will boost tourism and create employment opportunities for the locals, the statement added.
Last year, the state govt announced development plans for the area at a cost of Rs 1,100 crore, connecting Vadnagar, Taranga, Ambaji, and Rani Ki Vav in a radius of 90km. The govt said on Friday that it also plans to develop a tourism circuit connecting other pilgrimage spots in north Gujarat, such as Polo Forest, Taranga Hills, Vadnagar and Ambaji.
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