Uttarakhand developing 13 new hill stations: CM

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Sunday said the hill state was in the process of developing 13 new hill stations to give a boost to tourism as older destinations such as Nainital and Mussoorie had reached saturation.

Speaking at an investors summit here in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rawat said: "From the point of view of tourism, the 170-year-old Nainital and the around 200-year-old Mussoorie have reached saturation point.

"We have started working on 13 new destinations in 13 districts. We have also identified the locations and to develop the infrastructure a detailed project planning is being prepared. We have earmarked a budget for that," he said.

He said the newly introduced land reforms in the state would do away with earlier hurdles and help investors from outside the state to invest in Uttarakhand.

Prime Minister Modi appreciated the state government's efforts in identifying new destinations to be developed as hill stations.

Modi said that with Chardham, Ganga, yoga, adventure sports and scenic beauty, Uttarakhand was a "complete tourism package" and emphasised the need for the state to be developed as a "Special Eco-Zone" in contrast to the traditional Special Economic Zones.

--IANS

mak-som/mag/mr