Feature
U’Khand got put complete ban on use of polythene in Chardham Yatra
Dehradun: The Uttarakhand government has decided to impose complete ban on the use of polythene bags in Chardham Yatra consisting of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath which is going to start from 18th of April as the door of religious place will be opened for followers.
The Tourism Minister of the state Satpal Maharaj told media persons that this year Yatra will be compeletely pollution free as the government have issued ordered complete ban of use of polythene on businessmen and passengers.
He said that government is also putting focus on the use of Solid-Waste-Management during the Yatara. The Minister further mentioned that beside this his government has also deployed about 100 number of busses in the state capital to bring Yataris here and apart from this there is a provision of 12000 taxis to carry people from near-by places.
With Badrinath and Kedarnath, two of Uttarakhand’s four fabled shrines likely to witness a heavy influx of pilgrims during the upcoming Chardham yatra, government agencies have started making arrangements to ensure that visitors have enough ration and accommodation facilities available.
“The Chardham yatra that starts from April 18 this time will coincide with ‘purshottam mas’, an auspicious occasion which comes after every three years,” said VD Singh, officer on special duty (OSD) of Shri Badrinath-Shri Kedarnath Temple Committee.
“So, a heavy influx of pilgrims is expected and accordingly we are making board and food arrangements for them, so they are not inconvenienced in any manner,” he said.
Singh said precaution “is being taken” in case hotels and restaurants would not be stocked up with enough food for a large number of pilgrims and would not have enough rooms to accommodate them.
“So, all state run guest houses have been asked to keep rooms in spare for pilgrims. Besides, arrangements like tin sheds and tent accommodations are also being made for them,” he said.
“Similarly, we have also stocked up enough food so that pilgrims face no crisis in case hotels and restaurants would run short of their stocks.”
Use of polythene bags going to lead in big trouble during Chardham Yatar:
Rudraprayag district magistrate Mangesh Ghildiyal admitted that there was a possibility of Kedarnath witnessing a heavy rush of pilgrims after the ceremonial reopening of the shrine on April 29.
“There is a possibility of the number of pilgrims going up this time as their number has been constantly increasing since Kedarnath was struck by the cataclysmic floods in 2013,” he said.
“We have, therefore, made enough boarding arrangements so that, in case of a heavy influx of pilgrims, the shrine town could accommodate 7000 more visitors per night.”
Ghildiyal said apart from state-run guesthouses, pilgrims would be accommodated in houses owned by Teerth purohits (priests).
“Of the total such houses that had been washed away by flash floods (in 2013), some 38 (houses) have been reconstructed and handed over to priests,” he said.
The administration had also permitted private parties to provide tent accommodations to yatris.
“Besides, in nearby Linchauli as many as 100 tents have been set up, in which, per night, 1,000 pilgrims can stay,” Ghildiyal said.
About other facilities, he said widening of a 16-km-long approach road from Rambara to Kedarnath had been carried out.
“Besides, railings have been put up along that (approach) road so that pilgrims ferried to the shrine town by mules do not fall off into the gorge,” Ghildiyal said.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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