By Arun Pratap Singh
Haridwar, 5 May: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated the newly constructed Bhagirathi Tourist Rest House of Uttar Pradesh, constructed by the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department, in Haridwar, today.
On this occasion, the Alaknanda Hotel & Resort was also was transferred by the Government of Uttar Pradesh to the Government of Uttarakhand. This demand of Uttarakhand has been met after 21 years, as Alaknanda Hotel had continued to remain in the possession of UP Government even after the creation of a separate Uttarakhand.
Yogi Adityanath and Pushkar Singh Dhami also addressed a joint press conference on this occasion. Earlier to the press conference, UP CM Yogi Adityanath handed over the keys of Alaknanda Hotel to CM Pushkar Singh Dhami. The Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department has constructed the 100 room Bhagirathi Tourist Rest House with a banquet hall and four-wheeler parking facilities for 150 vehicles. The total area of the tourist rest house is 2964 square metres and it has been constructed at a cost of Rs 43.27 crores.
Addressing the press conference, Yogi Adityanath reminded the media that some property related issues and disputes had been pending between the two states for past 21 years. In between, several rounds of talks were held. Several matters had been resolved when he and the then Uttarakhand CM, Trivendra Singh Rawat, had a top level meeting in 2017. Later, Chief Secretary and other official level meetings were held. Some issues continue to remain unresolved as these needed political will and approval and were beyond the authority of bureaucrats. Therefore, he and CM Dhami had a discussion on the pending issues in November 2021 and a final decision was reached in on most issues.
He also gave credit to the Uttarakhand Government for providing land for the Bhagirathi Tourist Rest House to Uttar Pradesh. He reminded, “When the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers meet, then it becomes the Ganga.” The governments of both the states would work together to realise the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’. Yogi further assured that UP Government would provide all possible help and assistance to Uttarakhand in every field.
Adityanath said that Uttarakhand is Devbhoomi. Uttarakhand has potential to attract more than 100 crore Indians as visitors. The Char Dham and Mother Ganga in Uttarakhand had the potential to attract a huge number of devotees. Along with spiritual tourism, Uttarakhand also had immense potential in the field of eco-tourism. Everyone would have to join the vision of the Prime Minister for the overall development of the country. The Kedarnath Dham had been transformed under the guidance of Prime Minister. The redevelopment work at Badrinath and Haridwar is also progressing rapidly. He said that the feelings and sentiments of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand are similar. There is immense employment opportunity in Uttarakhand in the field of tourism. Yogi Adityanath said that Uttarakhand is also his motherland. The Chardham Yatra has begun for the current season and Uttarakhand deserves global recognition as an excellent example of hospitality.
Chief Minister Dhami expressed his gratitude to the Yogi Adityanath for the dedication of Bhagirathi Tourist Accommodation House at Haridwar and transfer of Alaknanda Hotel to Uttarakhand. He said that the meeting between the two Chief Ministers held in November last was quite fruitful and over 95 percent of pending issues regarding the distribution of assets had been resolved. Yogi Adityanath had performed the duty of an elder brother for Uttarakhand. Dhami said that, presently, a new India was being built through material and spiritual development. Yogi is continuously working to advance the spiritual consciousness. Under his leadership, Uttar Pradesh is on the path of continuous progress. Uttar Pradesh is now becoming Uttam Pradesh, he emphasised.
Dhami added that Uttarakhand is also progressing rapidly in every field under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Road, air and rail connectivity has spread rapidly in the state. The reconstruction work on Kedarnath has been done speedily. Badrinath is being given a more grand appearance.
On this occasion, the Cabinet Ministers of Uttarakhand, Satpal Maharaj, Premchand Agarwal, Ganesh Joshi, Dr Dhan Singh Rawat, Chandan Ram Das, MP and former Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, BJP State President and MLA Madan Kaushik, Uttar Pradesh Minister Jaiveer Singh, Brijesh Singh, Kapildev Agrawal and several seers were also present.
