GTA Introduces Adventure Sports Training Program for Unemployed Youth in Kalimpong

A training program has been created by the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) for jobless youngsters in Kalimpong who are interested in becoming adventure sport guides.

According to GTA sources, this is the first attempt to develop adventure sports in the hill area and provide locals with a different kind of employment opportunity in adventure tourism.

The main coordinator of the GTA's tourist department, Dawa Gyalpo Sherpa, said that as part of the project, a three-day basic rock climbing training course was organized at Lava, which is around 33 kilometers from Kalimpong town.

"We planned the program to help the young people in the Kalimpong area improve their abilities. On Wednesday, the course came to a close, and they received certificates. According to Sherpa, who is also a qualified teacher at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling, "it will help them train others as instructors and act as guides to help tourists enjoy rock climbing."

He claimed that hundreds of visitors come to Lava and other parts of Kalimpong each year, many of them are interested in rock climbing.

"We're going to start rock climbing in Lava in the future summer. We want to eventually open up additional adventure sports, like zip lining, at the same location," he said.

The HMI offers adventure sports training in the highlands. A large number of visitors were unable to participate in the course due to factors such as geographical remoteness. "GTA officials came up with the idea for this reason. We have taught twenty-four kids over the last three days, four of them were females. Every participant is a graduate, with ages ranging from 20 to 35," Sherpa said.

Adventure activities like paragliding from Deolo and white water rafting in the Teesta are now offered in Kalimpong.

They are both quite well-liked. More adventurous activities will now be offered in the hills, which will attract more visitors—especially younger ones, according to Debasish Maitra, head of the Eastern Himalaya Travel and Tour Operators' Association.

According to insiders, the GTA is planning a mountain bike trip for the next month.

According to a GTA spokesman, "cycling through hilly terrains is yet another adventure sport that people want to enjoy."