Uttarakhand-bound tourists, especially Chardham pilgrims visiting Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri, will now be required to carry the mandatory trash bags in their vehicles. Action will be taken against tourist vehicles in the hills found without trash bags.
Taking strict note of litter scattered across large eco-sensitive areas in the Himalayas, the Uttarakhand government has decided to monitor vehicles arriving in the hills without trash bags. A fortnight after implementing a rule requiring trash bags in tourist vehicles, state Chief Secretary Radha Raturi directed officials on Thursday to enforce this mandate strictly and take necessary action.
Raturi has instructed officials in the Secretariat and district administrations, particularly in seven districts of the Garhwal region, to strictly enforce the rules requiring trash bags in the vehicles of pilgrims and tourists visiting for the Chardham Yatra. She directed them to inform tourists of the requirement while issuing trip cards and to issue regular challans to those who do not comply. Raturi also directed officials to send letters to municipal bodies and district panchayats regarding the vehicle trash bag ruling to ensure proper enforcement.
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The Chief Secretary ordered department heads to update real-time data on the Chardham Dashboard, which will be launched soon. According to her, the dashboard will serve as a strong medium for effective exchange of information and data sharing among departments related to the Chardham.
The Uttarakhand government will also implement GIS tagging of completed works along the Chardham Yatra route and include popular tourist places like Mussoorie in the Chardham Dashboard to ensure that all information and real-time data are available to tourists visiting such places. The Chief Secretary also directed district magistrates along the Chardham route to coordinate with relevant agencies to enrol all mules providing services for the Chardham pilgrimage under insurance policies.
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