Nal Sarovar Birdwatching Hit as Boating Ban Dampens Tourist Experience

Ahmedabad | Gujarat — It is that time of the year when the bird-watchers and tourists from across Gujarat and neighbouring states descend at Nal Sarovar, which is located some 60 kilometers away from Ahmedabad, to witness the migratory birds in various hues and sizes. This time around, even as the winter season has started,  the situation is a little different at this natural tourist spot, as bird watching is possible only as far as the eye can see from the shore, because there is a ban on operating boats with tourists in Nal Sarovar, which is why people who come with their families with the excitement of observing foreign birds closely are returning home disappointed.

Why has the fun of Nal Sarovar faded in the tangle of laws and rules? What are the questions in the minds of the government, boat operators, and what are the expectations of tourists arriving here? To understand this we went from the forest department office in Gandhinagar to Nal Sarovar to know the ground reality.

The matter is related to the incident in Vadodara. On January 18, 2024, a boat full of students sank in Harni, Vadodara. After this tragedy, the state government banned boating in the entire state. After that, a new SOP has been issued with strict rules for the safety of tourists. It has been announced that boating can be started only if this SOP is strictly followed. 

According to forest department officials, new rules are also mandatory in Nal Sarovar, including life jackets, limited capacity of tourists in boats and plastic ban.

Assistant Conservator of Forests Nareshbhai Patel said that a new SOP has been formulated by the Port and Transport Department, which mentions compliance with the carrying capacity of the boat, safety jackets, and fitness certificates with the boatman. Registration will also be implemented from the boatman in Nal Sarovar.

After the Harni accident, boating was banned, and the matter reached the Gujarat High Court. With the intervention of the court, the government gave new permission for boating. The administration has formulated an SOP for boats and after applying, permission has been given to the boat owners.

Due to this situation, more than 300 boatmen from about 15 villages near Nal Sarovar and their small businesses have been seriously affected. Due to the ban on boating for a long time, the livelihood of about 1500 people has been snatched away, because after making the rules, the problem arose that the cost of a new boat with the government’s policy and regulations is approximately Rs 80,000 to 90,000. The government has assured loan assistance to the boat owners to buy these new boats. However, the local boat owners are not ready to buy such expensive boats and they are demanding to continue boating through their old boats. On the other hand, the forest department is not ready to give permission to old boats for security reasons.

Hajibhai Usmanbhai Sama, the president of Nal Sarovar Boat Association said, “Out of 300 boats, about 200 boats have been made like new boats with fiber and paint at a cost of Rs. 15,000 each and they can be registered. We have presented it in the collector’s office, IRS and GMD. He has been instructed to collect all the documents, such as IRS certificate, fitness certificate, safety jacket and documents of tourist seating capacity, as per the government guidelines and submit them in the collector’s office and get a license.