Bhubaneswar, Oct. 11: Odisha Tourism will shortly launch a hovercraft facility on Puri beach in collaboration with a private operator.

All necessary permissions for this have been obtained and work is on in full swing.

The test run of the hovercraft was conducted yesterday. It is capable of travelling both on land and water.

'Since it is a very new project, we hope the people will enjoy it. For the time being, we are planning to engage one hovercraft. Once the ride picks up, we will add another one,' said tourism director Nitin Jawale.

A hovercraft, also known as an air-cushion vehicle or ACV, is capable of travelling on land, water, mud, ice, and other surfaces. The boat needs no jetty and is considered safer than tourist boats. At present, the Indian Coast Guard wings use such boats.

'Tourists will be able to enjoy the ride from the end of October. We are training a few local people who will operate the vehicle. Passengers will ride it under expert supervision,' said project supervisor Kamalendu Dey.

The government had recently come up with guidelines to regulate and promote water sports in the state.

These include motorised activities such as jet ski, speedboat and powerboat, towed activities such as parasailing, banana rides and water skiing and non-motorised activities such as snorkelling, canoeing and kayaking. These apart, individual activities such as sunbathing, bathing in seawaters and sand art will also be dealt with under the provision.

'All water sports will be done following the Odisha Water Sports Guidelines. We ensured that the operator made available all life-saving equipment, fire-fighting appliances, rescue tubes and other equipment on the vessels duly certified by competent authorities before the hovercraft facility kicked off,' said Jawale.

Tour operators are excited about the development.

'It will not only attract people from across the state but also from different parts of the country,' said tour operator Tusshar Nath.

Temple cleansing

The Jagannath temple is undergoing a cleansing process after a little blood spill following a servitor's accidental fall on the premises on Wednesday. The rituals, which were delayed, will continue after purification. The incident took place when a servitor slipped and fell on the floor at the shrine's Kalahata gate. He suffered injuries to his head.