Garhwal Post Bureau
Mana (Uttarkashi), 11 Jul: Senior IAS officer Dhiraaj Garbyal, who has only recently taken over as Secretary Tourism in the state today visited the border areas and the border village Mana in district Uttarkashi despite an orange weather alert having been issued by the Meteorological Department. As the tourism secretary, this was his maiden tour of the state’s border areas, beginning with Mana, renowned as India’s first village.
On the occasion of Guru Purnima, Garbyal offered prayers and sought blessings at the sacred Badrinath Temple. After the religious rituals and prayers, he carried out a thorough inspection of the various ongoing projects in Badrinath Dham, and issued clear instructions to officials to accelerate the pace of work.
It was continuously raining albeit lightly when Garbyal proceeded to Mana, where he was warmly received by the villagers, led by former village head Pitambar Molpa. In the village, he reviewed the progress of various initiatives under the ‘Vibrant Village’ scheme and interacted with residents to explore new avenues for tourism development. Thereafter, Garbyal reached Auli, where he directed improvements to the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam guesthouse and convened an important meeting regarding the repair and maintenance of the prominent Auli ropeway.
His further conducted an inspection of the Tapt Kund at Tapovan, situated along the Niti road, where he reviewed the site’s condition and ongoing works. The day’s tour concluded with Garbyal visiting Benital to inspect the development of the Astro Village project. This tour, undertaken in challenging weather conditions has attracted praised from various quarters.
