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12-Year-Old Child’s Death In Himachal’s Paragliding Site Led To Petition For Adventure Sports Safety

by Suchismita Pal
12-Year-Old Child’s Death In Himachal’s Paragliding Site Led To Petition For Adventure Sports Safety

After the Paragliding World Cup in 2013, Himachal’s Bir-Billing rose to fame for the adventure activity. Every year, a large number of thrill-seekers visit Bir-Billing to enjoy paragliding over the scenic mountainscapes. Many local operators might tout it to be of the ‘safest’ adventure sports sites, but the actual story is something else. Over the past few years, the adventure site at Bir-Billing has witnessed many fatal accidents due to the violation of safety norms. On December 22, 2021, Rishabh Tripathi from Bangalore lost his 12-year-old son Advik to one such accident. While he is still recovering from the injuries, he is taking steps to ensure that no more Adviks are lost due to lack of adventure safety.

The Jeep Carrying Rishabh’s Family At The Paragliding Site Fell Into A 15-Feet Gorge

While many operators in the Bir-Billing adventure tourism region have licences, numerous others operate without licences. On top of that, they overload the open jeeps and drive them through the narrow turns of the hilly terrains. Rishabh had boarded a jeep along with his family to reach the paragliding site which was 10 to 12 kilometres away from the boarding spot. They had booked the jeep on-spot with a paragliding agency broker. The vehicle had the capacity of carrying 5 people. But the driver overloaded it with 9 people. On the way to the paragliding site, the jeep collided with a two-wheeler and fell into a 15-feet deep gorge. While Rishabh and his wife sustained several injuries, Advik could not survive lacking immediate medical assistance after his head hit a rock. The driver and the pilots had fled after the incident.

Picture Credits: News18

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Rishabh Has Started A Petition To Ensure Safe Adventure Tourism

Regarding the media report of Advik’s death as a Public Interest Petition (PIL), the Himachal Pradesh court has taken a suo-moto action aimed at the verification of the licences of the state’s adventure sports operators. A notice has been issued to the Director-General of Police (DGP) asking for replies within 35 days. Rishabh has also started a petition on change.org demanding stringent safety measures for adventure activities.

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In the petition, Rishabh has demanded the availability of ambulance and first-aid by the government at adventure sports sites, insurance for those taking part in the activities and a Standard Operating Procedure ( SOP) for the activities.