Dehradun: State Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj held a review meeting of the Tourism Department at the Tourism Directorate located at Garhi Cantt on Monday. In this meeting, he discussed all the issues in detail with the officials. He also gave guidelines to work fast on important plans.
In the review meeting, Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj discussed these main points:
Instructions to speed up the process of integration of Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) and Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN).
Asked to prepare the master plan of Kedar Khand Mandir Mala Mission just like Manaskhand Mandir Mala Mission.
Apart from repairing and cleaning the damaged toilets on the Chardham Yatra route, it was also asked to install western toilets in them.
Triyuginarayan will be developed as a Vedic tourism village.
Groups of local youth will be formed and they will be given training in campaigning.
Talking to the media after the review meeting, Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj said that Triyuginarayan located in Rudraprayag is a unique and spiritually important marriage place. It is also known as the marriage place of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. This place is important from the point of view of history, mythology and natural beauty, as well as it is known for weddings with a spiritual and traditional touch. Therefore, Triyuginarayan should be declared as a “Vedic Tourism Village”.
Instructions to prepare for the winter Chardham Yatra from now: At the same time, he told that groups of local youth should be formed on various tourism and trekking routes of the state and they should be given training in campaigning, so that along with providing facilities to the tourists, local youth can also get employment. During the review meeting, Tourism Minister Maharaja also directed the tourism officials to prepare for the winter Chardham Yatra in advance and to promote it.
Preparation to get the Chardham Yatra registered in the Limca Book of Records: He said that the condition of the government residences of the Tourism Department is very bad. These should be repaired immediately and the process of registering the Chardham Yatra in the Limca Book of Records should be started.
He directed that along with installing fast EV chargers in the tourist accommodation houses of Kumaon Mandal, a campaign should be launched for the registration of hotels and resorts running illegally in the state. Apart from this, Minister Maharaj also reviewed the schemes of Rs 4800 crore for tourism.
Minister Maharaj informed that in the year 2025-26, various schemes worth Rs 48,676.05 lakh have been approved in the Tourism Department, out of which more than 10 constructions including VIP lounge, dharamshala, yagyashala, shops and pavilions are going on with an amount of Rs 2, 246.76 lakh out of Rs 5,240.85 lakh in Mahasu Devta Hanol.
Apart from this, 28 temples have been selected for development under the Manaskhand Mandir Mala Mission. In the first phase, administrative approval of Rs 125.25 crore has been given for infrastructure development in 16 temples, out of which Rs 51.14 crore has also been released. At the same time, work has started in 6 temples.
Maharaj told that work is going on at a fast pace on projects worth Rs 40.81 crore under the Kainchi Dham Complex Development Scheme, while administrative approval of Rs 17.59 crore has been received under the “Challenge Best Destination Development Scheme” of the Central Government.
Wed in Uttarakhand-2025: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has recommended central assistance of Rs 400 crore for various schemes of Nainital-Mukteshwar Yatra Marg. He informed that “Wed in Uttarakhand-2025” project has been launched to promote destination wedding, under which infrastructure and publicity plans have been made at places like Thano, Tehri, Trijuginarayan and Rishikesh.
Maharaj will meet Yogi on the issue of miscreants in Kanwar Yatra: Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj said that Kanwar Yatra is a festival of faith, but some miscreants hurt the faith of crores of people by their actions. Kanwariyas should think that neither big sound systems nor his productive qualities are needed to please Bhole Baba.
He said that Bhole himself is so great that he can hear the voice of anyone’s devotion from anywhere and Bhole himself remains in his fierce form. His devotees do not need to remain in fierce form. He said that he will also talk to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath about the continuous chaos in Kanwar Yatra and the way some miscreants take advantage in the name of faith will be curbed.
