PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
Chief secretary Anand Bardhan said that the Urban Development department will act as the nodal agency for developing infrastructure and facilities in Mussoorie. He said that traffic congestion is becoming a major problem in the town and stressed the need to improve alternative routes to ease the pressure. He directed the RTO and police to strictly enforce the traffic plan for Mussoorie and instructed widening and improvement works on Jharipani Road, Camel’s Back Road, Landour and Khattapani Road. During a review meeting with officials at the Secretariat on Thursday, Bardhan discussed road connectivity, traffic congestion and civic infrastructure in Mussoorie. He said that the government will provide funding to the municipality for the improvement of the roads. He also called for the preparation of an internal connectivity plan for Mussoorie and directed a survey for ropeway development. Bardhan also instructed to reintroduce previously operated golf carts to reduce the load on Mall Road and provide internal mobility for locals and tourists. He directed officials to identify and develop new destinations such as Jharipani Fall and Shikhar Fall. He also stated that trekking routes should be developed around Mussoorie and asked officials to prepare a list of potential tourist sites for further development. He also instructed to identify new parking locations to handle increasing vehicle pressure and said that construction of parking sites should not impact the region’s visual appeal or natural views. He ordered the early start of operations at the Kingcraig parking facility. He also directed installation of solar street lights between existing lights to ensure continuous lighting during power cuts. He asked officials to implement eco-toll collection through FASTag on the Mussoorie route.
