Gaighat, June 19 A test was conducted for rafting in the Sunkoshi River from Phoxintar of Rautamai Rural Municipality to Ghaplang of Triyuga Municipality today. Commercial rafting is being brought into operation in the river with the joint effort of Rautamai Rural Municipality and Hotel Entrepreneur Debit Basnet in a bid to develop Udayapur as a new tourist destination for both domestic and international tourists. People’s representatives, rural municipality staffers, entrepreneurs and media persons, among others, were present during a programme organised before conducting the rafting test on 15-km stretch of the river. Youth entrepreneur Basnet said commercial rafting would be brought into operation in the northern part of the Sunkoshi River from the coming winter season. He added that rafting would be operated in coordination with the rural municipality as the area from Phoxintar to Ghaplang was suitable for rafting. He further informed that it would take one-and-a-half hours to raft from Phoxintar to Ghaplang. Rural municipality Chair Gajendra Khadka said that commercial rafting in the Sunkoshi River would help attract more domestic as well as international tourists to Udayapur district. Khadka said if rafting was operated in the river on a regular basis, it would be a good source of income for the rural municipality.