Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 1

During the upcoming Char Dham yatra, the Uttarakhand government will ensure the ban on the use of plastic and thermacol on the route is strictly enforced.

Garhwal Commissioner and Uttarakhand Tourism Secretary Dilip Jawalkar said that the onus will be on the district administration to ensure the ban on plastic in the state is fully enforced.

“There has been a ban on plastic in the state but it has come to light that the pilgrims continue to use such articles. Maybe, they are not aware of the ban. We will ensure that the notices are put in place at places that are frequented by the pilgrims and tourists,” said Dilip Jawalkar, while speaking with media persons.

He said that the district administration would have to ensure that the districts too followed the guidelines and there were no violations.

For undertaking the char dham yatra, the pilgrims cover districts of Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Uttarkashi and Dehradun (Rishikesh).

Beside the ban on plastic, the Uttarakhand government has also launched an anti-encroachment drive in places of pilgrimage so that the roads become spacious and there is no obstruction to traffic.

“In Yamnotri, the drive is on and at several places the encroachments were removed. We hope that the shopkeepers will voluntarily take up the exercise,” he said.