Evidently retaining its apathetic stance, the State administration has continued to welcome visitors to the “Char Dham Yatra- 2015” on its official website at a time when the sixth month of 2016 is nearing its end. Prominently displayed on the State Government’s website, this example of persistent official carelessness continues to contradict various developmental claims made by the authorities in Uttarakhand.
Earlier, in April, when Uttarakhand was under president’s rule The Pioneer had reported on the anomalies, outdated or incorrect information displayed on the State Government website (uk.gov.in) wherein the link to the Sugarcane and Sugar department had been diverted to the site of a purportedly China based mining and construction machinery company at the URl sugarcaneua.in.
Taking cognisance of the report, the authorities removed the said link but the prominent goof up of welcoming visitors to Char Dham Yatra 2015 has continued to be displayed on the Government website.
The home page of the State Government website uk.gov.in carries varied features including slides of images and links to official portals of various welfare programmes and services of the Central and State Governments. One of these slides displayed continues to declare “Uttarakhand welcomes you to Chardham Yatra 2015 the religious retreat in the Himalayas…”. Clicking on this link takes one to a page of the official website of Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB)uttarakhandtourism.gov.in—which displays “Opening Dates of Char Dham Temples during 2015 with Status” presenting the route map, opening dates and the do’s and don’ts on a page which also shows that the website page was last updated on March 27, 2015.
The other silly errors including spelling mistakes and old information have continued uncorrected on the State Government’s website at a time when the Congress continues to blame the BJP-led Union Government of apathy, allegedly biased budgetary cuts and hindrance of developmental works in Uttarakhand.
Observers point out that such blunders continuing on the Government website present the workings of the departments and officials concerned in poor light especially considering the crores of rupees spent on publicity and other measures to attract tourists from across the world to Uttarakhand.