Uttarakhand Governor Aziz Qureshi on Friday called for devising an effective formula or passing of a legislation in Parliament offering the same facilities to Char Dham pilgrims as given to Haj pilgrims.
"All facilities like the economic assistance given to Haj yatris (pilgrims) should be provided to Char Dham pilgrims also. An effective formula should be devised or an Act of Parliament should be passed to ensure that devotees who annually visit the famous four Himalayan shrines of Uttarakhand enjoy the same facilities as enjoyed by Haj yatris," Qureshi said at the Governors' Conference being held at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.
He also called for upgrading of facilities and arrangements for devotees on Char Dham route similar to those at Vaishno Devi or Tirupati shrines. The Char Dham pilgrimage route had suffered extensive damage in the June 2013 catastrophic floods in which a vast network of roads and bridges were washed away.
Extolling Uttarakhand's immense tourism potential, Qureshi said steps should be taken to stop illegal building projects mushrooming in Nainital and Mussoorie at the cost of the natural beauty of these popular tourist destinations.
The Governor expressed concern over lack of basic amenities like water, electricity, schools in the border districts of the state, stressing that these were necessary to stop migration of residents to big cities within and outside the state.
Observing that China had built quality roads close to the Indian borders, Qureshi said similar road building projects should be initiated in Uttarakhand's border districts, both due to their strategic significance and for the convenience of the local populace.
The Governor also demanded the construction of a super specialty hospital each for Kumaon and Garhwal regions known for their poor health facilities and one super specialty hospital for children in Dehradun.
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