State to become top tourist destination, road construction to be expedited- Maharaj

Basic facilities to be arranged to strengthen Panchayat system, says minister

Thursday, 31 March 2022 | PNS | Dehradun

The Tourism and Public Works minister Satpal Maharaj said that the State government will work to develop Uttarakhand into a top tourist destination. While the construction of roads will be expedited, basic facilities will also be arranged to strengthen the three-tier Panchayat system, he said.

Informing about the works of the departments under him on Wednesday, the minister talked of developing work culture and according priority to development works. Referring to tourism he said that various other circuits along with the religious-themed circuits will be expanded in the state. The work on these circuits which was affected during the Covid pandemic will be expedited. Along with the Char Dham, other religious shrines will also be developed, he said.  Tourism activities will be enhanced in the border areas in an attempt to mitigate migration.

Regarding Panchayati Raj, the minister said that basic facilities will be provided to strengthen the three-tier Panchayat system. The posts of additional engineer, Gram Panchayat officer, village development officer and block development officer in Panchayats will also be filled soon along with the appointments of data entry operators. Model schools and hospitals will be opened in Panchayats to also mitigate migration. Effective steps will be taken for enhancing livelihood by providing skill and capacity building training in Panchayats, said Maharaj. Networking facility will be ensured in all development blocks and Gram Panchayats, he added.

The minister further said that road construction and repair works will be expedited. While incomplete works will also be completed soon, special focus will be laid on quality of the works. In the sphere of culture, efforts will be made to encourage cultural activities while an attempt will also be undertaken to bring the Dhol-Sagar in the Guiness book of world records, said Maharaj.