Ahmedabad: Boating at the famous Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, which had been suspended since June 2024 because of safety certification problems, is set to restart from the next birding season starting in October.
New Boats Procured to Resolve Regulatory Hurdles
Officials from the forest department announced that the Gujarat tourism department, working together with the forest department, has finalized the design of new boats and begun the procurement process. This move is expected to overcome the regulatory obstacles that led to the suspension of boating activities.
The disruption arose from new certification requirements. The boats traditionally used at Nalsarovar were locally built and did not have manufacturer certificates, a mandatory document for obtaining operational licenses. Consequently, the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) could not complete the certification process needed for registration and licensing.
“The earlier boats were local boats, not factory-made ones, and hence none had manufacturer certificates,” said a senior forest official. To address this issue, the tourism department has procured 230 standardized boats, of which around 100 have already arrived.
Preference for Affected Boatmen
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Jaipal Singh stated that preference would be given to the nearly 250 boatmen who were registered and operating before the suspension. “The tourism department has procured the boats and these will be allotted to eligible boatmen. This should help restart boating operations,” he said.
The prolonged halt has severely impacted the local boating community. Boatmen reported losing two full tourist seasons, which typically run from October to March and attract between 1,200 and 1,400 visitors daily. A local operator mentioned that a boatman generally earns around Rs 50,000 during a season by ferrying tourists and birdwatchers across the wetland.
Forest officials acknowledged that the absence of boating affected visitor numbers, with many tourists opting for Thol Lake instead. While visitors continued to come to Nalsarovar for picnics and birdwatching from the shore, the sanctuary’s signature boating experience remained unavailable throughout the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
