Shillong (Meghalaya ), July 7 : Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Conrad K. Sangma launched the Meghalaya Rafting Program at Umtham Village today, as he visited the stretch of river that has been used for various water sports events such as the Megha Kayak Fest.
Run by the Ri-Bhoi Water Sports and Tourism Co-operative Society, the Meghalaya rafting experiences will be open to the public in due course, and is expected to be a confluence of adventure tourism, sport, and community building.
The society already trains close to 15 children in kayaking, canoeing, and slalom on the river, with one athlete having won a silver medal at the last Khelo India Youth Games. The community youth are regularly interacting with the society of their own interest, and are even volunteering to be raft guides, mentors to younger athletes, and contribute to the development of the ecosystem.
The Government of Meghalaya, through the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs, has supported the society, and the newly formed Meghalaya Canoe Association with their development, and even envisage a World-class Slalom course to be established on the river.
The natural beauty of the area, combined with the water flow of the river, have naturally created the grounds for an efficient and year-round functional course, which very few areas in the world can boast of.
The Chief Minister interacted with the youth of the area, as well as the athletes, and spoke to the audience about the opportunity the community has to build something special in the area and encouraged them to take advantage of the Government support on hand and make the Village a global destination for Sports and Tourism.
