Uttarakhand to map 100 trekking, hiking routes to improve trekker safety: CM Dhami

Uttarakhand will map 100 major trekking and hiking routes using Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to improve trekker safety, streamline rescue operations and promote adventure tourism, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Friday, as he flagged off an expedition team to begin the exercise.

“Uttarakhand has immense potential for adventure and trekking tourism and stressed the need to use modern technology to systematically bring both established trekking regions and remote, lesser-known routes onto the tourism map,” CM Dhami said as he flagged off the team formed by the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) from the chief minister’s Camp Office.

He added that tourist safety, alongside the promotion of tourism activities, was a priority for the state government. “Scientific mapping of trekking routes would provide trekkers with essential route-related information and also improve the effectiveness of relief and rescue operations during emergencies,” he said.

Dhami also emphasised the need to conserve the state’s sensitive Himalayan ecology while promoting tourism. He said the project would help boost tourism in remote mountainous areas and create employment and self-employment opportunities for local youth through activities such as guiding, homestays and other tourism-related services. He instructed officials to ensure the participation of local communities in implementing the project.

Tourism secretary Dhiraj Singh Garbyal said GPS/GIS mapping and technical surveys of 100 major trek and hike routes would be carried out under the project. “An offline and online GPS navigation application based on the mapping would subsequently be developed,” he said.

“The application would allow trekkers to access essential information about trails and routes on their mobile phones even in areas without network connectivity,” he added.

According to Garbyal, upon successful implementation, Uttarakhand would become the first state in the country to develop such an application covering all 100 mapped trekking routes. The application would also assist rescue teams during emergencies.

The mapping exercise will also identify suitable locations for campsites, dustbins and toilets along the routes. This is expected to facilitate systematic planning for amenities, waste management and environmental conservation in the future.

Garbyal said provisions relating to safety measures, communication facilities, signage and emergency evacuation plans for trekking routes had also been prioritised in the official master plan for Uttarakhand tourism. The project, he said, would help develop a sustainable and science-based tourism model in the state.

A Detailed Project Report (DPR) and a coffee-table book will also be prepared as part of the project, with the stated objective of giving national and international recognition to lesser-known trekking regions of Uttarakhand.

Cabinet minister Ganesh Joshi, additional secretary (tourism) and additional chief executive officer of the UTDB Abhishek Ruhela, additional director (tourism) Poonam Chand and other officials were present on the occasion.