Uttarakhand cabinet nod to declare Mussoorie as separate tehsil
In the wake of the Joshimath land subsidence crisis and in light of a newspaper report which said ‘Joshimath is a warning for Mussoorie’, a committee was constituted by the NGT in January to suggest remedial measures
The Uttarakhand cabinet headed by chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday approved a proposal to declare Mussoorie as a separate tehsil under the Dehradun district.
Located in the foothills of the Garhwal Himalayan range, Mussoorie, which was founded by the British in the 1820s, had a population of 6,461 in 1901 which increased to 30,118 in 2011 and as per the latest Jal Sansthan data, the population here has now crossed 50,000.
In July, a National Green Tribunal (NGT)-appointed panel to study the carrying capacity of Mussoorie submitted its report listing recommendations and remedial measures for preventing environmental damage to the hill station.
In the wake of the Joshimath land subsidence crisis and in light of a newspaper report which said ‘Joshimath is a warning for Mussoorie’, a committee was constituted by the NGT in January to suggest remedial measures for preventing environmental damage to the town, one of the most visited tourist destinations in the state.
The status report to the tribunal has recommended that expansion of construction activities should be avoided and proper drainage and sewage systems need to be implemented in Mussoorie. The panel has also recommended regulation of heavy tourist influx by charging visitors and using the funds thus generated for managing waste and cleanliness in the town.
The cabinet further has approved the new Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) policy. Under the policy period, the state government will develop 50 clusters in the state.
Sharing details, chief secretary SS Sandhu said in 2008, the National Hydropower Policy came into effect, under which regional development fund was approved.
The cabinet has decided that one per cent of the project cost will be now used for the development of the same area, where the project is operating.
Sandhu said the cabinet also approved an amendment in the Uttarakhand Compulsory Registration of Marriage Rules 2012 to include Sikh marriages under the Anand Marriage Act 1909 in the rules so that Sikh marriages can also be registered in the state
The cabinet also announced that Chaurasi Kutia (also called Beatles Ashram) in Rishikesh will be developed as an international heritage destination for which the consultancy services of the HCP Design, Planning and Management Pvt Ltd will be sought.
The cabinet also approved Drone Policy 2023 to promote drone manufacturing and drone-based services in the state.
