Uttarakhand News: No trip cards for those who don’t carry dustbin while driving to the tourist state

Uttarakhand news:In a bid to address the current cleanliness challenges, the Uttarakhand government, on Thursday instructed mandatory installation of dustbins and garbage bags in vehicles entering the state. This move comes amid the need to "to maintain its natural cleanliness," of the state.

Chief secretary Radha Raturi said that trip cards would be issued to vehicles only after ensuring they have a dustbin or garbage bag installed.

Chardham Yatra in focus

The Uttarakhand State Transport Department further issued letters to the nearby states of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi,Haryana, Himachal Pradesh. Letters were also sent to the transport commissioners of Punjab, Chandigarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, informing them that it is mandatory for vehicles coming to the state during the Chardham Yatra to have dustbins and garbage bags installed to prevent travellers from littering roads.

Violation of the law will incur fines. All the vehicles entering Uttarakhand would be checked and fined if they do not comply with the new rule, the chief secretary told PTI. The chief secretary said that, apart from the general public, tour operators, travel agencies, and drivers must be aware of the regulation, reported PTI.

'Uttarakhand is a tourist state'

Raturi further noted that Uttarakhand being a tourist state, protecting its environment, should be undertaken by the residents collectively. "Uttarakhand is a tourist state. Maintaining the natural cleanliness of the state and protecting its environment is the collective responsibility of its residents as well as lakhs of tourists and devotees who visit the state every year," chief secretary Radha Raturi told PTI.

Goa is another state that invites many tourists. Goa Chief minister Pramod Sawant said that the existing legislation will be amended to ensure stricter penalties, revoking permits of vehicles for one year if they were caught illegally dumping garbage.

(with inputs from PTI)