Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 5 Jan: Chief Secretary (CS) Anand Bardhan chaired a meeting of the High-Powered Committee on Eco-Tourism under the Forest Department at the Secretariat here today. During the meeting, he asserted that a vast portion of the state is covered by forests and, for this reason, Uttarakhand possesses immense potential for eco-tourism. He directed that suitable spots must be identified and developed to create a strong ecosystem for the sector.
Bardhan instructed the officials to prepare a comprehensive policy for trekking and mountaineering, directing that an integrated framework for these activities be finalised and submitted to the government by 15 January. He emphasised that due consultations with the private stakeholders should also be held prior to the policy’s finalisation to avoid practical difficulties during the implementation. He further directed that new peaks be opened for trekking, with environmental audits and all other formalities completed expeditiously. He added that a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in this regard should be issued at the earliest.
The meeting also discussed infrastructure aspect related to Eco-tourism. In this regard, Bardhan instructed the officials that the renovation of Chaurasi Kutiya be completed without delay and asked the executing agency to establish a strict timeline for all the ongoing works to ensure timely delivery. He suggested that the Jabarkhet model of eco-tourism be replicated at other identified sites and directed Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs) to take up specific tasks to promote eco-tourism within their jurisdictions.
He asked the officials to prepare plans for ten identified sites and submit them to the government within a month.
The CS also discussed the creation of a mechanism for operating tourism activities within the forest areas, proposing that the responsibility be handed over to the Eco-Tourism Development Board, which was constituted for this very purpose. He also emphasised the need to strengthen the board by increasing manpower and making necessary budgetary provisions. He directed the Additional Secretary of Forests to open a new account head for the board so that it could receive grants similar to the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board. It was also reminded at the meeting that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for operating eco-tourism sites through the Eco-Tourism Development Board is expected to be signed shortly.
Bardhan further mandated that meetings of the High-Powered Committee on eco-tourism be held every month. He directed the commencement of formal training programmes for tourism across the state, with certificates to be awarded upon completion. He stressed the importance of anchoring the certification process at a single point and suggested that the Tourism Department be entrusted with this responsibility but also sought inputs from the Higher Education Department.
Among those present at the meeting were Secretary Dipendra Kumar Chaudhary, PCCF and Head of Forest Force (HoFF) Ranjan Kumar Mishra, CCF Eco-Tourism PK Patro and Additional Secretary Himanshu Khurana, besides other senior officials.
