15.10.22 Daily [Uttarakhand] UKPSC Current Affairs

Two decades after massive landslides severely damaged around 100 houses inUttarkashi’sVarunavatmountain in 2003, local residents have proposed to develop the mountain as a “Disaster Management tourism” site. The idea, they say, is to “let people take in the beauty of nature while remembering its fury.”

In a recent expedition, a group of hoteliers and nature lovers rediscovered a 3km-long trek route to the top of the mountain. This route, which was once used by local villagers, starts from Uttarkashi bus stand and passes through a herbal forest and villages such as Bagyal Gaon, Pata and Sangrali.

Developing Varunavat as a tourism site does not mean to construct concrete structures or increase vehicular traffic. Instead, the administration can develop a trek route, cycling trails, eco-park and an open museum by setting up signboards with information about the 2003 disaster and treatment work.