Tourists and locals can go for a boat ride on the famous Naini Lake in Nainital starting September 1. A boat ride on the Naini Lake is one of the topmost things to do here, and many tourists opt for this leisure activity. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, the Uttarakhand state government had put a stop on boat rides since March 2020.
According to the latest reports, a meeting was held between officials of Nainital municipality and a boat operators committee on August 24. During the meeting, it was decided to resume boat ride operations in Nainital. Ashok Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, Nainital municipality, told the press that taking into account the arrival of tourists in town, the boat operators have decided to restart boat rides.
The officials of Nainital municipality reportedly said that 222 rowing boats and around 60 pedal boats operate in the lake through, via which 300 boatmen earn their daily bread. After a long hiatus, all these men will be able to feed their families. However, the onus of maintaining social distancing among tourists and ensuring they wear face masks will be on the boat owners. In addition, sanitising the boats and following other guidelines is also mandatory for the operators.
Nainital is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Uttarakhand. Next to the Naini Lake stands the famous Naina Devi Temple, which has an interesting legend connected to Lord Shiva and his wife Sati.