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The Dhami government has intensified efforts for the planned and all-round development of the religious and tourist city of Rishikesh. On the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the Housing Department has laid emphasis on speeding up the process of finalizing the Rishikesh Master Plan and resolving the pending cases to it. In this sequence, Secretary Housing Dr.R. A review meeting was held under the chairmanship of Rajesh Kumar with the concerned development authorities of Dehradun, Pauri Garhwal and Tehri Garhwal. Various technical and planning issues to the master plan including building height, road width, traffic, residential and commercial activities were discussed in the meeting.

Government level will take action on the proposals of all three authorities

Since the area of ​​Rishikesh Master Plan is connected to three districts, proposals were sought from the development authorities of Dehradun, Tehri and Pauri. In the earlier meeting held at the government level, instructions were given to the concerned authorities to provide the proposals approved by their respective boards. In compliance with this, Tehri and Pauri authorities provided their proposals to the government. The proposals received and comments of the concerned officials were examined in the meeting. Proposals to determine the height of buildings as per the requirement of the area and the width of the road were also discussed.

Presence of National Highway and developmental activities in Tehri area

Keeping in view the requirements, it has been requested to keep the building height as per the standards of plain areas. At the same time, since the area of ​​Pauri district is adjacent to Rajaji National Park, the suggestion of limiting the building height was considered appropriate keeping in mind the environmental sensitivity and local conditions.

Emphasis on balance between development and environment

Secretary Housing Dr.R. Rajesh Kumar instructed the officials to complete all the pending works to the master plan on priority basis. He said that for a religiously and touristically important area like Rishikesh, the master plan is not just a land use document but is the foundation stone of urban and economic development in the coming years. He said that Rishikesh is a major spiritual and tourist center for tourists from India and abroad. Along with the number of tourists, urban population, traffic pressure and commercial activities are continuously increasing. In such a situation, keeping in mind the future needs, it is necessary to prepare such a development plan which, along with giving a systematic direction to the expansion of the city, also maintains environmental balance.

Parking, roads and traffic will get planned direction

The master plan will also comprehensively include development of residential and commercial areas along with tourism activities, traffic system, parking, road network and infrastructure. The government is trying to provide better facilities to the citizens and tourists in Rishikesh amid increasing tourism and urbanization and the traffic system can also be made effective.

Local needs and environmental needs of the area

Secretary Residence Dr.R. Rajesh Kumar said that emphasis is being laid on preparing a balanced model of development keeping sensitivity in mind. Environmental aspects will be given priority in planning construction and development activities, especially in the areas adjacent to Rajaji National Park.

Strict stance on unnecessary delays

Secretary Residence Dr.R. Rajesh Kumar directed to ensure better coordination between the concerned departments and development authorities. He said that the matters pending at technical or departmental level should be resolved quickly. Unnecessary delay will not be accepted in the process of finalizing the master plan.

Focus on modern facilities along with religious tourism

Dhami government intends to develop Rishikesh as a modern, convenient and well-organized tourist destination along with religious tourism. Effective implementation of the master plan is expected to provide clear direction to future residential, commercial, tourism and infrastructure development in the area. According to the state government, the development of Rishikesh should be such that tourism and economic activities are promoted, but the environmental sensitivity of the city and the needs of the local citizens are not compromised. With this balance, action is being taken forward towards finalizing the master plan soon.