PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
The eighth meeting of the Uttarakhand Investment and Infrastructure Development Board (UIIDB) was organised at the State secretariat on Tuesday.
In the meeting chaired by chief secretary Anand Bardhan, emphasis was laid on expediting the planning and implementation of infrastructure development projects in the State. Discussion on strengthening the organizational structure of UIIDB and decentralization of powers at various levels were also held in the meeting.
The CS directed the officers to pay special attention to the works of Sharda, Rishikesh and Haridwar Corridor projects. He said that under the Triveni Ghat project in Rishikesh, continuous availability of the water of River Ganga should be ensured. While reviewing the proposals of the project of construction of a park and heritage forest walk and underground parking on the land of the old railway station in Rishikesh, the CS said that the feasibility of maintenance and operation of the project should be properly assessed.
He said that in view of the possibility of expansion of Rapid Rail Transport System to Haridwar-Rishikesh and construction of railway line between Rishikesh and Dehradun, provisions should also be included to develop necessary infrastructure in view of the future requirements at the railway station in Rishikesh.
On the excessive crowd pressure and traffic inside Rishikesh, the CS directed that a proposal should be prepared by discussing all stakeholders including Police, district administration, Tourism and Transport departments for shifting the ISBT and Char Dham Yatra registration centre.
While reviewing the projects of Haridwar corridor project, Bardhan said that in view of the upcoming Kumbh Mela, the approved works of this project should be completed in a time-bound manner. He said that a suitable place near the Mela control room should be earmarked for setting up an integrated command and control centre equipped with high-tech and modern facilities for security, traffic and crowd management in Haridwar. The CS said that the ambitious plan of building a cultural and multi-model tourism centre at Chandi Ghat should also be implemented. He also directed the officers to prepare proposals for the redevelopment of Yamuna Colony in Dehradun, the plan for development of new Greenfield cities and other schemes proposed by UIIDB.
The meeting was attended by principal secretaries RK Sudhanshu and R Meenakshi Sundaram, secretaries Shailesh Bagauli, V Shanmugam and Jugal Kishore Pant, CCF Parag Madhukar Dhakate, resident commissioner Ajay Mishra,Haridwar DM Mayur Dixit, Mela Adhikari Sonika, additional secretary Abhishek Ruhela and other officers.
