6 new bidders get OK for Netrani scuba diving in Karnataka

Hubballi: The Uttara Kannada district administration has given an in-principle approval to six tender bidders to operate water sports at Netrani island, Karnataka’s only scuba diving site.

For the last nine years, three operators have been conducting scuba diving at Netrani island, some 10 nautical miles from the temple town of Murudeshwar. However, given the growing popularity of adventure sports and the interest shown by many visitors, the district administration has increased the number of operators to six. Earlier, each boat could carry 30 visitors on a trip. Now, with six slots, the tourism department intends to increase the number of adventure seekers on the island, which is known for its clear, turquoise waters and diverse marine ecology.

Earlier, around 250-300 people used to experience scuba diving a week on the island. Now, the tourism department intends to increase it to 600-800 a week.

Operators are allowed to conduct scuba diving for seven months (October to April) at the island.

Uttara Kannada deputy commissioner Lakshmipriya K said several experts informed the administration that Netrani Island has one of the best scuba diving experiences on the entire west coast. “To increase its popularity and to provide a safe environment to visitors, the administration called for fresh tenders and based on the technical qualification, six operators have been selected. A work order will be issued soon,” she said.

Like earlier, only a portion of Netrani island will be used for scuba diving. Officials at the tourism department claimed that every effort will be made to ensure that the tranquillity and biodiversity of the area are not disturbed.

“We are not looking at this as just a recreation activity but also a means to press home the message of the importance of conserving marine ecology,” said the district’s tourism department’s deputy director Jayanth K V. A portion of the revenue generated from the adventure activity will be used for conservation works at the sea, he said and added that a third-party study by government-approved institutes will be conducted to understand the ecological impact at this region.

The Indian Navy also uses the island for their target practice exercise regularly.

The approval of six new operators is not without controversy, as the three earlier operators charged that their bidding was not approved or rejected owing to political interference. Sources in district administration confirmed that senior officials of the tourism department and district administration were under pressure while approving the tender.

“We have been operating scuba diving at Netrani Island for the last seven years. However, our applications were rejected on flimsy grounds. The port and tourism departments did not provide no-objection certificates to two of the operators. However, today the administration has approved applications of agencies that have no prior experience. One of the operators is a relative of an influential politician of the district,” said Ganesh Harikantra, of Netrani Adventures whose application was rejected.

However, Jayanth denied the allegations stating that a few operators had monopolised the sector and violated regulations by exceeding the permitted number of visitors.

“They also compromised visitor safety by offering services at unsustainable low prices. The administration has decided to enforce strict safety guidelines. Since the e-tender was conducted on the government’s E-portal and was open to all, applications were accepted and rejected solely based on the tender’s terms and conditions, without any bias,” he explained.

Lakshmipriya said the administration has strictly scrutinised the documents and approved the tenders based on complete scrutiny of the papers.