By OUR STAFF REPORTER
MUSSOORIE, 8 Jun: On the first day of unlock one in Mussoorie there was an absence of tourists. The advisory issued by the Uttarakhand Government caused a lot of resentment among the people for its many complications. They said that there were many stringent rules in the advisory issued by the government which were difficult to follow. Because of this, most establishments remained closed on the first day of Unlock One.
Sundar Singh Panwar, Secretary of the Mussoorie Taxi Car Owners’ Association, said that due to many conditions, it was difficult to operate the taxis. A taxi could not have half the number of passengers without raising the fare. The association had submitted a memorandum to the government seeking exemption of two years road tax with financial assistance of Rs 5000 for the taxi drivers. The state government had only provided Rs 1000 for the driver-operator and waived just three months of road tax, which the association did not find acceptable.
Devi Godiyal, Ppatron of the Mussoorie Home Stay Planning Committee, said home stay owners were very much worried about the epidemic. He said that home stays had been closed for 75 days. The government was not helping them in the crisis. Guidelines for home stay were very complicated and difficult to follow. He asked the state government simplify the rules.
Mussoorie restaurant owners Rajendra Singh Negi, Neeraj Singhal and Aman Singh said that the advisory issued by the government made it impossible to open restaurants. They had decided to keep their establishments closed until everything becomes normal.
Rickshaw puller Nain Singh, Sampati Lal, Ramlal said they were in a lot of trouble. For the last 3 months, the wheels if their rickshaws were jammed, but no help had been given to them by the government. The small dhabas and fast food operators are following none of the rules nor is physical distancing being enforced, due to lack of knowledge about the advisory. Many small fast food establishments have also opened without concern for the rules.
