Uttarakhand: Underground tunnels to double up as parking lots

Dehradun, July 29: Uttarakhand government has decided to construct small underground tunnels to address the perennial problem of parking in the hills.

A proposal to this effect moved by the Public Works Department (PWD) got the state cabinet's nod at its meeting here on Wednesday, news agency PTI reported.

The tunnels will serve as parking lots in the hills, Uttarakhand Chief Secretary S S Sandhu told reporters.

Rail Vikas Nigam Limited, Tehri Hydro Power Development Corporation and Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited have been roped in to construct the tunnels, he said.

Geographical surveys will be conducted before the construction of the tunnels begins, he said.

In another major decision, the Cabinet gave its approval to Uttarakhand Landslide Mitigation and Management Centre manual, officials said.

The institute will be the first of its kind in the country and work on landslide mitigation and management in the disaster-prone state, they said.

According to officials, the cabinet gave its approval for speeding up implementation of the Dehradun-Mussoorie ropeway project which has been stuck since 2019 due to lack of clarity about its height.

The Cabinet has also decided to give 100 acres of land free of cost to the Centre to establish a satellite centre of AIIMS near Kichcha in Udham Singh Nagar District, officials said.

It also decided to impose a fee on mobile companies installing their towers in the state, they said.