Dehradun,
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Maj Gen BC Khanduri (retd) has called for an apex body for the growing river-rafting industry in the state.

Khanduri, who was speaking at a review meeting of the tourism department here yesterday, said that as river-rafting companies have to deal with forest, tourism and irrigation departments separately to get licences, there is a lot of confusion.

He advised the officials of these departments to sit together to form an apex body for the industry.

The Chief Minister expressed his unhappiness at the slow rate of private investment in the tourism sector in the state. He was of the opinion that with many formalities to be done at different places, entrepreneurs were feeling discouraged from investing in the tourism sector.

Khanduri said that on the lines of the industry department, a single-window clearance system must be introduced in the tourism department to give a fillip to private investment.

He directed officials to identify more places in the state for having air-strips to bring the virgin areas of the state within the reach of tourists.

The Chief Minister also sought details of the benefits that have been reaped by residents of the villages which have been identified as tourist villages. The department had developed 17 villages in the state as model tourist villages.

He directed the officials to choose those villages that are frequented by tourists and pressed for timely completion of tourist circuits so that more and more locals could benefit from tourism.

Uttarakhand Tourism Minister Parkash Pant said that out of Rs 65 crore released by the Central government, a sum of Rs 45 crore has been spent. More than Rs 4 crore have been spent on providing infrastructure facilities in 17 model tourist villages. Pant said that Hemkund Sahib-Ganghria-Valley of Flowers circuit, Gangotri Dham destination, Dyara Bugyal circuit, Pauri-Khirsu-Lansdown destination, Pitthoragarh-Munsiyari-Berinag-Kumaon destination and Kedartah destination are being developed.

The Chief Minister called for the provision of infrastructure facilities like clean toilets along the ‘Char Dham’ yatra route.