Saturday, 08 October 2022 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Minister directs action against hotels & resorts built illegally on river banks
In the wake of the murder of Ankita Bhandari who was employed as a receptionist at a tourist resort near Rishikesh, the State’s Tourism and Culture minister Satpal Maharaj has directed that all hotels, home stays and resorts in the State should be investigated in detail and that their registration and activities should also be monitored. Maharaj issued this direction to the Tourism secretary Sachin Kurve on Friday. The minister has also sought the list of all the registered and unregistered hotels, resorts and home stays operating in the State.
The minister further directed the secretary to check as to with whose permission are the unregistered hotels, resorts and home stays are operating illegally in the State. He said that it had come to his notice that some of the guests of resorts, hotels and home stays in riverside areas are consuming alcohol and meat on river banks, adding that strict action should be taken against such persons. Maharaj also directed Kurve to take action against such hospitality businesses built on the banks of rivers in violation of the rules. It was further stated that the police are acting only against such hotels, resorts and home stays which are operating illegally. To ensure that the incident like that involving the death of Ankita Bhandari who worked in the Vanantara resort is not repeated, he directed the secretary to prepare a list of all hotels, home stays and resorts operating legally and illegally in the State. Their registration and activities on their premises should also be monitored, he said.
