50 tourists to be allowed at Uttarakhand’s Kempty Falls following Covid violations

There would be a limit of 50 tourists who would be allowed to bathe at the waterfall for only 30 minutes. After the stipulated time, a hooter would be blown to signal the batch of tourists to come out

Updated on: Jul 9, 2021, 13:54:30 IST

By Neeraj Santoshi

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Authorities on Friday said only 50 tourists will be allowed to visit Kempty Falls, about 15 km from Mussoorie in Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal district, following violations by visitors of Covid-19 precautions at the popular tourist spot. The decision was taken amid much criticism after videos of unmasked tourists violating social distancing norms went viral.

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Iva Ashish Srivastava, district magistrate, Tehri Garhwal, said, “From now onwards, there would be a limit of 50 tourists who would be allowed to bathe at the waterfall for only 30 minutes. After the stipulated time, a hooter would be blown to signal the batch of tourists to come out. Once all of the 50 come out, the next batch of 50 would be allowed to go.” Srivastava said police have been directed to set up a check post near the tourist spot. “It would be used to check whether tourists are following the Covid precautions. The administration would ensure strict implementation of the Covid-19 precautions...”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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