The two-day Tehri lake adventure fest was formally inaugurated by Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat here on Saturday with a number of water and adventure sports enthusiasts from India and abroad participating. Tehri, Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Rudraprayag have to be developed more in order to enhance livelihood opportunities for the people here, he said.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said that in the future Tehri will emerge as an important place on the adventure tourism circuit and gradually, the Government schemes related to tourism will also be implemented in the villages around the Tehri lake. The Government of India’s ministry of tourism has provided cooperation to help encourage tourism activities in Uttarakhand with the State Government also working consistently to develop new tourism destinations in the state. Rawat also inaugurated various schemes costing about `16.25 crore including the adventure sports hostel costing `4 crore, floating log huts costing `8.50 crore and eco-log hut campus costing about `3.75 crore apart from which he also unveiled the foundation stone for 17 varied schemes in other districts amounting to about `56.75 crore.
The CM further said that the Mussoorie-Dhanaulti road will be widened, while also stressing on the construction of homes in the traditional native manner in order to boost rural tourism. He said that the appointment of principals in the State’s Government high schools, inter-colleges, Industrial Training Institute (ITI) and polytechnic colleges by the end of year apart from which the vacant posts of doctors will also be filled. Stating that rural areas will be made into centres of produce, he said that produce from here will be sent to different parts of India and other places.
The CM directed the Tehri district magistrate to facilitate operation of the barge-boat at half the fixed fare for the Pratapnagar area. At the same time, unemployed youth in the dam affected area should also be facilitated with boating license at half the fixed rate.
The occasion also saw the chief minister announcing the start of MA classes in the Paukhal degree college and construction of road from the Maajaf to Oneshwar area in addition to which he also spoke of soon opening the Chinyalisaud airstrip for use.
Expressing his views on the occasion, the state tourism minister Dinesh Dhanai averred that new standards had been achieved in the sphere of development under the capable guidance of the chief minister. New opportunities for employment have been accessed by people with the implementation of varied new government schemes in the district.
On the occasion, the tourism minister also sought facilitation of a medicinal herb centre at Kanatal, 20-bed hospital at Jakhdighar, reconstruction of the public works department inspection bungalow at Chamba and establishment of a winter lodge at Jadipani.
The tourism minister averred that efforts will be made consistently in order to further boost adventurous activities and tourism in Tehri.
Speaking on the occasion, the Pratapnagar MlA Vikram Negi asked the chief minister to ensure accordance of priority to construction of the 11 roads providing access to the dam reservoir. According to the authorities, more than 250 persons are participating in the two-day fest being held in Tehri.
The Bhagirathi Valley Development Authority vice chairman Kirti Singh Negi, former Mussoorie MlA Jot Singh Gunsola, Chamba block Pramukh Anandi Negi, tourism secretary Shailesh Bagauli, district magistrate Indudhar Baudai, district Panchayat members Murari lal Khandwal and Anand Rawat were also among those present on the occasion.