Adventure sports lovers can soon expect to experience an adrenaline rush when in Mysuru. The State government has proposed to promote Mysuru as an aero sports hub and establish an aqua sports centre at Varuna lake near here.
In the 2017-18 State Budget presented on Wednesday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has promised a grant of ₹5 crore for developing an aqua sports centre at the lake on the outskirts of Mysuru, under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.
Situated at a distance of around 10 km from Mysuru along NH 212, Varuna lake has already hosted a variety of water sports events such as jet skiing and kayaking during Dasara.
The lake falls under the purview of the Cauvery Neeravari Nigam, which had submitted a proposal to the government to start aqua sports activities. But the Tourism Department has proposed to constitute a joint committee with representatives from the Nigam, the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports, Tourism Department and local gram panchayat, among others, to take the proposal forward, said H.P. Janardhan, Deputy Director of Tourism, Mysuru.
Apart from jet skiing and kayaking, the lake can be used to host a variety of aqua sports, including still water rafting and bungee jumping, he said. “The world over, bungee jumping over waterbodies is considered safe,” Mr. Janardhan said.
Aero sports
Apart from skydiving, which is already attracting adventure sports enthusiasts to Mysuru, the authorities now plan to offer paramotoring, paragliding and parasailing in Mysuru.
“We have already identified the likely spots. Enthusiasts can take off from Chamundi Hills and land near the highway to Nanjangud,” Mr. Janardhan said.
Mysuru has earned itself a reputation as a skydiving destination with Skydivers, an aviation company approved by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, beginning operations at Mysuru airport.
During the past few months, MP Pratap Simha, IAS officers P. Manivannan and Naveen Raj Singh, and paraplegic radio jockey Raghurama Bhat were among the more than 100 adventure sports enthusiasts who took a plunge from heights of 10,000 to 12,000 feet to experience the thrill of skydiving.
Considered to be a safe ‘drop zone’ by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Mysuru attracts two or three skydiving customers every day, Mr. Janardhan said. “If the numbers increase, the skydiving company is ready to replace its Cessna aircraft to accommodate more people. The present one accommodates only one customer, besides the instructor who jumps in tandem with the skydiver. A bigger aircraft could reduce the cost of skydiving by almost half and become more affordable for a lot of people,” he said.
