23rd board meeting of Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board held in Doon
By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 7 Aug: The 23rd board meeting of Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board was held today under the chairmanship of Tourism Minister and Chairman, Uttarakhand Tourism Development Council, Satpal Maharaj. Several important issues were discussed in the meeting and Maharaj also sought feedback and opinion of the board members regarding several projects and schemes.
In the board meeting, a proposal was passed to amend the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (Group ‘A’ and ‘B’) Service Rules-2013, and the event calendar of adventure tourism proposed in the year 2024-25. The Board was also apprised on the occasion of the work being done for the planned development of Jageshwar Dham, Mahasu Devta, Om Parvat, Munsiyari, Jadaun and Timbersain etc. The members were updated about further documentation, mapping and preparation of DPR for the improvement and development of 10 major Naulas in Champawat from the tourism point of view. The Board was also apprised of the selection of a consultant for preparing the tourism destination plan of Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham like Kedarnath and Badrinath. Illumination of destinations was discussed in major tourist places like Rishikesh, Thandi Sadak in Nainital, etc. Training programmes related to personnel, etc were also discussed in detail.
In the board meeting, Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj directed the departmental officers to develop Gunji in Pithoragarh as a tourist destination by installing the statue of Maharishi Vedvyas there. He added that consideration should be given to developing a theme park on the lines of Kingdom of Dreams located in Gurgaon. He also directed a survey for the construction of a ropeway from Auli to Gaurson Bugyal. In addition, he also directed setting up of Charging stations for electric vehicles along the major routes of the state.
The Tourism Minister said that work should be done on the possibilities of bungee jumping from the major bridges located in the state. A programme should be made by conceptualising S”leep under the Skies” for astro tourism. He stressed that a strong strategy should be worked out by the board on research and development and skill development in the field of tourism. Work should also be done on the development of various facilities for tourists on the dedicated bridges.
Satpal Maharaj praised the excellent work done by the department and he urged the officers to work with various policies and a new thinking to make Uttarakhand a tourist state.
Secretary Tourism and Chief Executive Officer of the Board Sachin Kurve and other officials of the Tourism Department were also present in the meeting.
