Activists have stressed that Uttarakhand is safe and tourists can visit many places in the mountain State. They point out that many tourist organisations, trek guides and porters are waiting for work as they have become unemployed after the calamity which struck Uttarakhand last month.
The Government, media and most importantly the tourists and pilgrims can help break the myth of ‘unsafe Uttarakhand’ as there are still many places in the mountainous regions where tourists can visit without fear. Vimal Bhai, Puran Singh Rana, Brihashraj Tadiyal and Krishna Yashwanth of Matu Jansangathan said that the electronic media has been presenting scenes from last month when floods and landslides caused buildings to collapse. Such mishaps are not occurring at present; cloudbursts are common in Uttarakhand like in all Himalayan regions and they occur in isolated areas and heavy rains occur here like in every part of the country. Stating that these are not breaking news, they appealed the media to stop showing old footages. Apart from focusing on relief and reconstruction works, showing the present situation would bring back the common people, pilgrims and tourists which will help rebuild the economy.
“We appeal to the government to remove the fear for tourists by presenting the actual picture through the media. We also request the national and international community, especially pilgrims and tourists to visit destinations with pristine beauty still intact even after the floods. Matu Jansangthan is communicating with government and civil society groups to concentrate on this issue along with the relief activities. This step will help in economic rebuilding of Uttarakhand,” said Vimal Bhai. There are many more interesting places in Ganga, Bhagirathi and Alaknanda valleys like Haridwar, Rishikesh, Neelkanth, Dehradun, Mussoorie, Almora, Auli, Nainital, Chopta, Kartik Swamy, Ukhimath (where the Kedarnath idol being worshipped presently), Tungnath, Gopeshwar, Saptakund, Tapovan, Peepalkoti, Malari, Pokhri, Meyali, Chirbatiya, Dodital, Dhanaulti, Narendranagar, Ranikhet (Almora), lansdowne, Sonprayag, Khirsu, Kanvashram, Guptkashi etc to visit without any risk, said the activists.