The Chief Minister said that Uttarakhand Tourism Development Council (UTDB) in association with Track the Himalaya has taken a historic step. Under this, a 25-member team of experts traveled 1170 km to find the old routes on the Chardham track. As part of the campaign, an elite team of 25 members worked for 51 days to find the old Char Dham and the winter Char Dham Marg. The publication of the book Walking to the God, based on the journey route, has been made possible with the documentary film on this entire expedition. The Chief Minister said that he was happy that this team was flagged off by him on October 25, 2021. This effort of the team is definitely a commendable initiative for the tourism of Uttarakhand.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the documentary and book on the ancient Chardham Yatra is a big step in the direction of preserving our age-old heritage. This will also give a boost to our Chardham Yatra and Uttarakhand will get a new identity. The objective of this special campaign was to strengthen the valuable history, traditions and rich culture by spreading environmental awareness, promoting homestay, trekking, local culture, traditions and native employment. An important document has also been collected through this campaign, which in future will prove to be important in creating employment opportunities for the youth of the state and preventing migration.
The Chief Minister said that in the original concept of the establishment of the state, tourism sector was considered as the mainstay of the state’s economy. Referring to the book Beyond the Misty Well, Temple Tales of Uttarakhand by former IAS officer Aradhana Johri in this regard, the Chief Minister said that his book was also a milestone in giving an authentic introduction to the mythical divine temples of Uttarakhand in the country and abroad. Will prove
The Chief Minister said that Chardham was no less than a challenge for us this year, more than 30 lakh devotees visited this yatra which started after two years. At the time of opening the doors, this number ranged from 20 to 25 thousand in a day. This is a good sign for our tourism. Our efforts are continuing for the development of infrastructure facilities on the Chardham Yatra routes.
The Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a special attachment to Uttarakhand. During the Kedarnath Yatra on 5 November 2021, the Prime Minister had described the third decade of the 21st century as the decade of Uttarakhand. Along with the reconstruction of Kedarnath, the work of beautification of Badrinath Dham is in progress. 265 crore has been sanctioned for this. Cable car planning work is going on for Kedarnath. Like Bharat Mala Yojana, the state is getting maximum benefit under Parvatmala Yojana. Manaskhand Mandir Mala Mission will be started to make the ancient temples of Kumau region grand, Char Dham Road Project, Rishikesh Karnprayag Rail Project, Tanakpur Bageshwar Rail Project, Doiwala-Yamunotri Rail Project along with Delhi Dehradun Elevated Road will give a new boost to the tourism of the state. Will also do the work of giving direction, it will take less time to reach Delhi than air travel.
The Chief Minister said that this year also lakhs of devotees visited the Kanvad Yatra. Budget arrangements have been made for the arrangements for Kanvad Yatra in Haridwar as well as the districts connected with it. This will help in conducting this journey in a better way.
The Chief Minister said that there is a great grace of God on our state. If the arrangements at our Char Dham tourist places will be convenient then people will make up their mind to come here again and again. In this direction, people associated with the tourism sector will also have to contribute for the betterment of the state’s tourism. The Chief Minister also congratulated Paloma Dutta, the author of the book and the members of Trek the Himalaya, who made commendable contributions in the Swachhta Pakhwada. Those honored by the Chief Minister included members of Municipal Council Agastyamuni, Ramnagar and Shivalik Nagar Haridwar, Hotel Restaurant Association, Best Barrier Society etc. The Chief Minister also presented him the National Flag under the Har Ghar Jhanda Yojana.
On this occasion, Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj said that for a healthy life, we have to make cleanliness a rite of passage. It has to be linked to your mood. This attitude should be towards the cleanliness of our house as well as the ward, city and state. If we are aware of cleanliness, then diseases will stay away and the expenditure on diseases will also be saved. Just as environmental friends did a better job during the Corona period, in the same way every citizen should join the cleanliness campaign by forming cleanliness committees at the local and ward level.
