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(B) TOURISM - WILL IT BE REGULATED?


Pilgrimage Tourism in Sensitive Areas


The Himalayas is known to be a home of saints, destination of pilgrimage since time immemorial.


For example, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri- Yamu-notri and Hemkund Sahib in Uttarakhand, Manima- hesh, Jwala Devi, Chintpurni, Naina Devi in Himachal Pradesh and Vaishnav Devi and Amarnath in Jammu & Kashmir, Khecheopalri and other sacred lakes in Sikkim are particularly important destinations.

Unfortunately, most of these places lack adequate facilities of transport, accommodation, waste disposal and other amenities for the ever growing number of pilgrims that visit them every year.

Also, there is a gross lack of regulatory mechanism for infrastructure creation, management, and for controlling the tourist inflow in such sites.

As a result the sensitive ecosystems and cultural values of these areas are facing pressures far beyond their carrying capacities.