Kashmir’s Dal Lake May Find its Twin in Bhopal, Shikara Service Launched in Upper Lake

Bhopal: In a bid to develop tourism in the Upper Lake of Bhopal in line with the famed Dal Lake of Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav on Thursday launched shikara service in the vast water body.

Twenty new shikara boats equipped with high class entertainment facilities like bird-watching, savoring local dishes, mobile markets of handicrafts and organic vegetables and fruits.

“Launching the ‘Shikara Boat’ service in Bhopal’s Upper Lake, built nearly a thousand years ago in the city of Raja Bhoj, is a historic moment. Tourists will now be able to enjoy an experience reminiscent of Kashmir’s iconic Dal Lake, right here in the City of Lakes, through these 20 new shikaras.

The shikaras are equipped with food and comfortable seating arrangements for visitors, and are expected to give Madhya Pradesh water tourism a new identity at the national and international level”, the chief minister said while launching the service.

For the first time in Madhya Pradesh, shikaras are being operated on such a large scale, with all 20 boats built using pollution-free, modern technology.

They are constructed from fiber-reinforced polyurethane and high quality non-reactive materials that do not cause any chemical reaction with water, ensuring complete safety of the lake’s ecology and water purity.

These shikaras have been crafted by an internationally renowned organization whose boats are already popular with tourists in Kerala, Bengal, and Assam.