The ban on use of Polythene would be completely enforced in Uttarakhand from July this year, said the Chief Minister (CM) Trivendra Singh Rawat while undertaking a review meeting of senior state government officials and tourism department officers at state secretariat on Thursday.
The district magistrates (DM) were also connected via video conferencing in the review meeting held on Char Dham Yatra and activities of Tourism department. The Minister of Tourism and Culture Satpal Maharaj was also present on the occasion.
The CM said that the general public should be made aware of the problem of polythene so that they support its ban in the state. He said that traders should also be motivated so that they extend their cooperation in implementation of polythene ban. The Chief Minister has directed all DMs to take stringent steps so that the ban is enforced in all the districts.
In the meeting, the CM directed the DMs that all the pilgrims on Char Dham Yatra are provided with necessary facilities and their convenience must be ensured. He also warned against overcharging in the eateries and other places and directed that rate lists should be displayed at all shops.
Taking a grave note of complaints of dry ATMs on the Yatra route, the CM asked the DMs to keep a close watch on the availability of cash in the ATMs and suggested that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) officials should be immediately informed about the problem of availability of cash.
The CM also reviewed the preparation for the forthcoming Tehri lake Mahotsav which would be held from May 25 to May 27. He said that the Tehri lake should be made a tourist destination of International level and the Mahotsav is an important step in this direction.
Taking exception to the shutdown of the website of Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN), the CM warned that the officials that such incident should not be repeated and all the services for the Yatris should be monitored on regular basis.
In the meeting the Secretary Tourism, Dilip Javalkar informed that 234 temporary toilets have been constructed on the bridle path of Kedarnath and 209 sanitation workers have been deployed on the route. For Gaurikund to Kedarnath, the GMVN has arranged 2838 beds and arrangements of 200 tents have been done by private agencies for stay of pilgrims.
The DM of Rudraprayag, Mangesh Ghildiyal informed the CM that the laser show at Kedarnath is eliciting very good response among the pilgrims.
In the meeting the CM and the Minister were informed that the department has created a mobile App for biometric registration of the pilgrims, which will be launched after complete testing in few days.
The pilgrims will be able to register for the Yatra through their smart phones without going to the biometric center. Through this app, a close watch can be kept on the movement and number of pilgrims.
The meeting was also attended by Chief Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh and other officers.