The Uttarakhand Government will take all possible steps to promote adventure tourism in the State apart from developing Tehri Dam reservoir into a world class tourist centre. Uttarakhand Tourism Minister Amrita Rawat said this while talking to The Pioneer.
Rawat said that her top priority will be to develop infrastructure in religious places and Char Dham Yatra routes. The new tourism road map will be chalked out keeping in view the State’s potential for religious, nature and adventure tourism.
She further said that Tehri Dam is the tallest dam in its type in Asia and the fourth tallest rock fill dam in the world sprawling over an area of 45 square kilometres in the Bhagirathi and Bhilangana valleys. Necessary steps will be taken for developing the Tehri Dam area into a mega-tourism circuit.
Rawat further said that there are numerous tourist attractions at and near the Tehri Dam reservoir like boating, various water sports and para sailing. The idea will be to transform the reservoir of this dam and the nearby area into a mega-tourism circuit and providing necessary facilities to tourists which will make this an international tourist attraction.
“We also plan to introduce various forms of water sports in the vast lake that was formed due to the construction of the dam. The stretch of the river 37 kms from Rishikesh on the Rishikesh-Badrinath highway is ideally suited for white water rafting. If the project attains the status of a mega project, it will not only improve the local economy but also generate employment on a large scale without exerting any detrimental effect on the environment,” she added.
Several steps will be taken to inform the tourists about places worth visiting apart from the regular spots. Hoardings and kiosks will be installed soon to provide such information to visitors.
Rawat further said that the Government has also decided to give special training to artisans of the state to revive local arts that are vanishing fast.
However, observers point out that even though the Government plans might seem commendable, the execution of these plans and quality of infrastructure will decide the level of benefit the people and visitors are able to derive from these. One of the persistent problems faced in the State is the inferior quality of roads and unscientific methods used for road construction which leads to frequent landslides, damaged roads and blocked traffic. In such a scenario developing tourist attractions will be of little use if tourists can reach such sites.
Src: The Pioneer