By Sunil Sonker
Mussoorie, 19 Oct: On the eve of Diwali, today, the Mussoorie Municipal Council and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) jointly organised a grand public relations and Diwali greeting programme, which showcased new development plans. The programme began at Tehri Bus Stand in Mussoorie and concluded at Gandhi Chowk. Municipal President Meera Saklani, BJP Mandal President Rajat Agarwal, former Mandal President Mohan Petwal, Rajendra Rawat, and hundreds of workers extended Diwali greetings to the city’s residents and reiterated their commitment to serving the city.
The programme also featured colourful cultural performances. Local artists and youth, dressed in traditional costumes, danced to folk songs. Such a glimpse of folk culture was seen on the streets of Mussoorie after a long time, which not only attracted tourists but also moved the locals. Municipal President Meera Saklani said that she has been given this responsibility with the love and blessings of the people of Mussoorie and is working day and night to fulfil her promises. She added that, in just nine months of her tenure, the Mussoorie Town Hall has been dedicated to the public. Meera Saklani added that continuous efforts are being made to remove street vendors from Mall Road and rehabilitate them in an organised manner. Vendor zones will soon be established so that these vendors can find permanent accommodation. She said that some people are playing politics with development work, but the BJP would neither play any games nor allow anyone to do so. The goal is solely to serve the public.
Former Mandal President Mohan Petwal said that, after the formation of the BJP Municipal Board in Mussoorie, development work in the city has gained momentum. Targeting the opposition, he said that the previous board had hindered Mussoorie’s development through corruption. However, now the “triple engine government” comprising the central, state, and local bodies, is working together to transform Mussoorie. BJP Mandal President Rajat Agarwal, while extending Diwali greetings, said that plans are being formulated to further develop Mussoorie from a tourism perspective. Under the leadership of Minister Ganesh Joshi, substantial work is underway to elevate Mussoorie and the surrounding rural areas to new heights on the tourism map. He added that work is also underway on employment generation. In particular, work is progressing rapidly on a vendor zone plan to protect the interests of street vendors.
Present on the occasion were Jagjit Kukreja, Vijay Vindwal, Amit Bhatt, Shivani Bharti, Gauri Thapliyal, Ranbir Kandhari, Pawan Thalwal, Anita Saxena, Anita Dhanai, Kamla Thapliyal, Sunil Raturi, Shiv Arora, Ujjwal Negi, and many others.
