To maintain the religious sanctity of the Devbhoomi, the Uttarakhand Government should not allow the construction of big hotels with five star facilities around the temples of famous Char Dhams of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. The environmentalist and Convener of Save Gantori, Glaciers and Glacial Rivers Mission, Shanti Thakur said this while addressing the media here on Monday.
She said that the Government should only promote religious travel to the Char Dhams and efforts should be made that the people should travel at least 14 kms on foot to reach these sacred places, She demanded that a no construction zone of 150 meters should be strictly imposed around the temples of Char Dhams. Thakur said that daily 400-500 vehicles come to the Char Dhams and the pollutions caused by them bring adverse effect on the health of glaciers around them.
Thakur said the Uttarakhand has more than 948 glaciers and due to increased human intervention the glaciers have begun to melt and recede, she demanded that the Government should only allow defence personnel, scientists and forest officials to visit the glaciers and all other human movement these should be immediately stopped. She demanded that the Government should make efforts to provide employment opportunities to those affected by the disaster of June last year.