At the inauguration had taken control of the ski from the coach, tried taking a sharp turn, failed and was thrown into the water.
Dussehra water adventure sports are suffering because of a minister’s misadventure during the inauguration as the incident has intimidated and driven away the tourists.
Small industries minister Raju Gowda had inaugurated the event on Thursday by riding a jet ski in Varuna Lake in Mysore. He had taken control of the ski from the coach, tried taking a sharp turn, failed and was thrown into the water. The pictures and story of the incident made headlines the next day.
“Because of the minister’s misadventure, we are losing tourists’ patronage,” the water sports organisers told DNA.
They said that to break even, they needed to have minimum 200 rides every day. They were expecting customers for 200-225 rides per day, with the number to increase by 25-30% on weekends.
“But the last two days, after the minister’s tumble, the tourists are apprehensive and right now it has affected our business,” they said.
The jet skis cost Rs7 lakh-7.5 lakh and come with a guarantee for 200 running hours. They consume 20-25 litres of high-octane petrol per hour and thus the owner has to recover its cost within 200 hours of running. If this does not happen, he is set to suffer loss. Water sports organisers in Mysore fear this might be the case with them.
Those involved in the adventure sports are blaming Gowda’s adrenaline rush. “It was the minister’s folly... In a haughty and irresponsible move, he took control of the vehicle and manoeuvred it like the novice he is,” said a crew member who works for the owners of the water scooters.
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