Sudden change in weather conditions witnessed during the last weekend seems to have caught the Nainital district administration ‘napping’ as mobility still remains restricted in this hill tourist destination with as many as eight roads connecting different parts of the district still remaining blocked for about four days.
The roads connecting different parts of the Nainital district which still remain blocked due to incessant rain and snowfall in upper reaches, include Dhanachuli-Paharpani- Okhalkanda Road, Malla Ramgarh-lachhmikhan- Kwarab Road, Vinayak- Hariyagaon Road, Kwaraj- Sargakhet Road, Nainital- Pangot -Kujkharak Road, Ramgarh- Mukteswar Road, Gagar- Dhanachuli Road and SupiSatbunga Road, as the officials concerned of the Nainital district administration said. Besides, traffic on many other roads, including the National Highways, are also reported to remain disrupted on account of incessant rain and snowfall during the last weekend across the Kumaon region.
Along with road connectivity, basic services like the drinking water supply and electricity also remain disrupted in different parts of the Nainital district, particularly in its hilly areas. Mention worthy, with snowfall in the upper reaches of the Himalayan State like Nainital being a common phenomena, basic services remaining disrupted due to bad weather conditions for long in a tourist destination like Nainital is a matter of serious concern.
The people associated with the hospitality sector in the region, including the hoteliers and tour operators, are a worried lot. Although tourism remains on a low key during the winter season, certain factors like snowfall as witnessed last weekend brings adventurists, boosting the tourism sector, said Rahul Fartyal, a Nainital- based tour operator.
But the poor state of basic services like blocked roads and disrupted power supply tend to discourage the tourists from visiting the tourist destination, Nainital, he regretted.Interestingly, keeping roads in a good shape is on the top of the priority list of the Chief Minister Harish Rawat. This was made clear when he held a review meeting with the officials concerned of the Nainital district last Sunday.Since Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar are gateway of Kumaon the roads should be ‘patch-less’, stressed Rawat, asking the officials concerned to come out of their comfort zone to improve the basic services.But his direction seems to have had little impact on the officials concerned of the Nainital district administration as they have done little on the ground.