September 20, 2023 – Construction work is underway in the Tapovan area of the municipality, disregarding standards and safety regulations. Multi-story hotels are being built without approved blueprints. Safety standards are being overlooked in these hotels. Access to the hotels for vehicles is obstructed due to narrow roads. Only two-wheeled vehicles can navigate through the congested streets. In the event of a fire breaking out in one of these hotels, controlling the situation will be extremely challenging.
Tapovan, being a tourist destination, witnesses a daily influx of hundreds of domestic and international tourists. Currently, there are more than five hundred hotels in Tapovan, with continuous construction of new ones. Most of these hotels are owned by individuals from outside the region, including Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and other states. Many people have rented these hotels and are operating them to earn higher profits. In their pursuit of maximizing profits, hotel owners are neglecting safety standards. If an incident like the one in Mussoorie, where a fire broke out in a hotel, were to occur here, there is no provision for fire trucks to enter the area. The internal roads and pathways here can only accommodate two-wheeled vehicles. Several of these hotels do not even have proper firefighting equipment.
To halt construction work that lacks approved blueprints in Tapovan, hotel owners have been issued notices. The district development authority is making continuous efforts in this direction.
Digvijay Tiwari, Assistant Engineer, District Development Authority, Tehri