NGT approves 25 Camping Points along Rishikesh: Its Pros & Cons
NGT had allowed camping activities on the 25 sites majorly between Shivpuri and Rishikesh. The Government body also gave directions that no sort of camping activity will be entertained within 100 metres stretch of Ganga River.
Environment Activist, Vikrant Tongad said, “It is a welcome decision but it is only half part done as this decision’s implementation in its true spirit is still a cause for concern. Earlier, people would camp along the river at any place and leave behind plastic bottles and pouches on the bank and disposed of waste into the river, deteriorating the environment in Rishikesh“.
“The NGT finds only 25 places fit for camping along the Ganga. Now, it will be more important if the state government implements the order in its true spirit,” Tongad quoted.
Pros:
As Rishikesh is the ‘Adventure Capital of India’ there is a plethora of opportunities for tourism to spread its wing here. This decision of NGT will surely channelize the hidden potential of Rishikesh Tourism.
By allowing camping in these 25 exotic sites the crowd will be distributed equally and not much stress will be laid on one area. Thereby, keeping a check on the pollution and on the water quality.
Since ‘Glamping’ has become a rage these days and Rishikesh being the favourite abode of foreign tourists can entice foreign tourists to camp in the celestial city.
Consequently more revenue will be generated from the potential areas and more tourists and young crowd will be attracted to the tranquil city of Rishikesh.
Cons:
If we look into this matter closely, we should recall the time when the Tribunal had prohibited camping and river rafting back in 2015 after a Delhi-based non-profit Social Action for Forest & Environment (SAFE) appealed that it was degrading the local ecology. Therefore allowing camping will only pollute the river and its surrounding areas, making the condition even worse. Instead of giving a green flag to camping, NGT should have rather shown some strictness regarding the breach of rules that were slated before.
According to the latest updates, around 18 hectares of forest cover across 20 beach camps will be cleared for which NGT had asked the Ministry of Environment and Forest to grant the permission. This decision has come as a major threat to the Himalayan foliage that is being slashed in the name of adventure and for generating revenue from the tourism sector.
While NGT prohibited hunting, use of generators for lighting, music instruments, group singing, dancing, firecrackers and setting campfires, no emphases has been laid on the beautification or cleaning of the river body and the areas near the campsites, where people leave all the junk after making merry.
Allowing any kind of human activity near the river body will only creates ruckus as the travel operators have been disposing the waste into the river and deteriorating the plush environs of Rishikesh, without paying any penalty for it.
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Rishikesh, Pithoragarh to become Municipal Corporations, Know Why?
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BJP Government is all set to increase the number of Municipal Corporations in Uttarakhand by hundred, for this the Urban Development Department has chalked out the strategies to speed up their work. CM Trivendra Rawat has chosen Madan Kaushik to handle the thread of the Urban Development Department. Initially, Rishikesh and Pithoragarh will be bestowed with the stature of being the new Municipal Corporations. While the increasing Village Councils will bag the title of Notified Area Council.
Why Rishikesh and Pithoragarh are considered as the strong contenders for Municipal Corporations
New Municipal Corporations will be introduced in the hilly areas of Uttarakhand
Apart from this, the government is also planning to introduce new Municipal Corporations in the hilly terrains of Uttarakhand, the research for which is still going on. The area between Chamba-Mussoorie is developing at a fast pace, therefore, such places are being considered by the government for developmental purposes.
Know the reason behind this new move of BJP
This political move by the BJP Government is being linked with increasing the vote banks in the next election. By making new Municipal Corporations, BJP will have an upper hand in the elections as they can show the noteworthy work they have done in diverse fields when they were in power. Therefore, establishing new Municipal Corporations will surely spread BJP’s wave in Uttarakhand. After Dehradun-Haridwar, now cities like Roorkee, Haldwani, Kashipur and Rudrapur have lined up to compete for municipal corporations…………………………………………………
Asia’s longest mountain bike race in Uttarakhand, 16 countries to participate
In order to promote adventure tourism in Uttarakhand, the Department of Tourism in the state have organized a Himalayan mountain bike championship that will take place from April 8 to April 16, 2017. Professional cyclists from more than 16 countries will participate in the championship whichwill be flagged off in Nainital. The Uttarakhand Tourism department is organizing the Himalayan MTB championship for the past 3 years to popularize adventure tourism in the state.The third edition of 8-day long Himalayan MTB championship will commence from April 8. The race received 100 entries from cyclists around the world, but we have shortlisted 50 for the final race. The increase in number of cyclists participating in the race indicates the event’s growing popularity
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Uttarakhand becomes Techno crazy 99.9% Rashan Cards made Digital
Good news for the forgetful ones who fail to find their rashan cards at the last moment as Food Supplies Department in Uttarakhand has digitized 99.9% rashan cards in the state. This small step towards digitization will make the work easy as these rashan cads will be soon linked with the Aadhaar cards.
