Tourism Minister Amrita Rawat raised objection on holding responsible tourism department for any mismanagement in Chardham Yatra, saying it was “wrong”. She convened a meeting to review the preparations for the Chardham Yatra, which is schedule to begin by April 13, of Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) on Thursday.
The Minister said, “Making tourism department accountable for any mismanagement is not right.” The Minister directed other departments, including potable water, medical, transport, local body and panchayat to perform their duties sincerely. She said that an operator should be deployed with each mule for 14 km long walk way leads to Kedarnath Dham.
She also passed instruction for making proper arrangements for decantation of scat. She directed that complete ban should be ensured on trucks and motorcycles for Hemkund Sahib Yatra. Neighbouring states, including Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh cunterparts should be intimated about the ban through a proper communiqué. Simultaneously, ban on the vehicles should be propagated properly in order to make people aware about it. The minister asked the officials to ensure strict action against the travel agents found charging more than the fixed rates of fare. She also laid emphasis on creating awareness among the people for travelling through the authorised travel agencies.
She directed the representative of Sulabh International to prepare the temporary toilets along the route by first week of May. She asked the officials to ensure proper sanitation on the route during the Yatra.
The minister directed Garhwal Commissioner to present the estimate required for setting up medical camps, including Jangalchatti, Rambada, and Jhingurpaani.