Uttarakhand's greatest failure in its focused tourism approach is not inadequate roads, insufficient hotels, poor promotion, or even weak infrastructure; it is the state's inability to understand what it is destroying. The government appears determined to measure success by tourist arrivals, hotel occupancy, vehicle counts and revenue.

Yet, the very destinations that attract people to Uttarakhand are being compromised in the pursuit of those numbers. This is not merely a tourism-related issue; it is an ecological issue. A cultural issue. A spiritual issue. And increasingly, a survival issue.

We all proudly call Uttarakhand 'Dev Bhoomi'. Millions undertake the Char Dham Yatra, visiting Kedarnath, Badrinath, Hemkund Sahib, Purnagiri, Jageshwar and countless other sacred sites. But Dev Bhoomi was never intended to become a high-volume tourism marketplace where spirituality competes with commercialisation.

At the same time, we must acknowledge that Uttarakhand is far more than a pilgrimage destination. Its mountains, rivers, glaciers, forests, wildlife, trekking routes, villages, cuisine and traditions attract visitors from across the world.

Fragile Mountains Under Pressure

This has been an opportunity. This diversity should have compelled the government to create a........

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