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To prep for Char Dham yatra, Uttarakhand turns old buses into mobile shelters
On the route to the Char Dham shrines, the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam is working on starting mobile shelters for tourists or pilgrims visiting the state.
The Uttarakhand government has started preparing for this year's Char Dham yatra with unique attractions for tourists and pilgrims.
On the route to the Char Dham shrines, the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam is working on starting mobile shelters for tourists or pilgrims visiting the state.
Ashish Chauhan, managing director of Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) said, “We had a few buses with us which we thought of utilising as mobile night shelters to give tourists a better experience. The buses have all facilities like beds, pantry, air conditioning, washrooms, sitting area. We are also providing tents along with the bus, for tourists who want to camp.”
The buses which can accommodate three to four people will be run by drivers of the department and will have to stop near GMVN tourist rest houses, “for safety of the tourists”.
“The mobile shelters will have to stop near GMVN rest houses as that will ensure safety of both our tourists and the vehicle. During the stay, the shelters will get electricity connection from the rest house and the facility to refill the inbuilt water tank,” added Chauhan.
He further said that the mobile night shelter initiative is likely to start before the Tehri Lake Festival scheduled to be held on February 16-17.
In a similar initiative to attract tourists, GMVN is also soon going to start a restaurant in Dhanaulti, where old ambassador cars have been used for seating.
“The department had some old ambassador cars which would have gone to scrap. We thought that instead of selling them, the cars can be used to generate long term earnings for the department and started the initiative to use the old as restaurant seats. The restaurant will be started in Dhanaulti,” said Chauhan.
He further said that GMVN has also started an open air restaurant in Mussoorie, which is getting positive feedback from tourists.
