Sunday, 24 April 2022 | PNS | Dehradun
The State’s Tourism and Culture minister Satpal Maharaj has stressed on the need for urgent measures for strengthening of alternative roads on the Char Dham circuit to tackle traffic snarls that take place due to landslides and other reasons.
Presiding over a meeting to review preparations for the Char Dham Yatra set to start next month on Saturday, Maharaj said traffic congestion was the biggest challenge on the Char Dham routes and called for developing alternative routes. He said that these alternative routes would be of immense benefit for diverting traffic to ease the pressure on Char Dham routes and also help in case of landslides. He called for installation of signages to keep the arriving pilgrim informed about the route diversions.
“Eye level signages should be placed at proper places so that an arriving pilgrim knows about diversions well in advance. This would considerably ease out traffic pressure on most used Char dham roads,” the minister said.
He specifically directed officials to develop new parking facilities to tackle challenges during the pilgrimage season. “You must acquire land or take the land on lease or even ensure private participation towards developing new parking lots as vehicles parked alongside roads is the major cause of traffic congestion,” Maharaj said, while also directing officials to prepare a feasible plan for this purpose. He also called for making arrangements of drinking water and food items to the pilgrims and tourists in case of vehicles getting stuck due to landslides. Installation of bio toilets was also stressed upon by the minister.
Referring to landsides, the Tourism minister directed that stone crushers should be stationed for prompt clearing of big boulders. He also suggested that wire netting should be installed in the landslide zones so that the debris do not fall on houses.
The minister also directed the health authorities present to ensure wearing of masks and use of sanitisers in their new SOPs for Char Dham Yatra. He also stressed on taking assistance from the Defence ministry towards deployment of cardiac specialists on the Char Dham routes to ensure immediate relief in case of emergency.
Describing taxi drivers as brand ambassadors, Maharaj directed for keeping coloured brochures of various circuits for the first hand knowledge of the arriving pilgrims. “The drivers should also be told about importance of keeping their vehicles clean as any foul smell in a vehicle gives a poor impression of the state,” he added.
Earlier, Tourism secretary Dilip Jawalkar informed about the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board’s preparations for the Char Dham Yatra. He informed that more than one lakh online registrations have taken place for the Char Dham shrines.
