Dateline Mussoorie: Sub-divisional Magistrate Rahul Anand was a special invitee at the 2nd Edition of Mussoorie Samvaad, organized by the Mussoorie Press Club today.
Addressing a packed gathering, Rahul Anand — IAS batch of 2022 and Mussoorie’s Sub-divisional Magistrate for close to a year — took centre stage to discuss the challenges and responsibilities of the Queen of Hills as an administrator.
Speaking candidly during the hour long interaction, Anand acknowledged that amongst the many challenges Mussoorie faced ‘Traffic’ was the number one problem. “Instead of looking at bandaged solutions to ease out traffic in Mussoorie, I believe we have to work out a holistic solution.” He further suggested, “A complete tourist circuit with a definite entry and exit point is something that should be worked upon so that we can ease out the traffic in-flow at major landmarks such as Picture Palace, Library Point, Zero Point et al.” He also suggested to reroute Chardham Yatra via Vikas Nagar and Prem Nagar during peak season to ease out the inflow into town.
Responding to questions from media personnel the SDM highlighted several pressing issues concerning Mussoorie and its citizens. Questions ranged from illegal construction, change of land use, noise pollution, lack of doctors in the Civil Hospital, leakage in the Yamuna Water Project, the delay in Mussoorie being notified as a Tehsil since 2023 and removing the last few hawkers who had encroached upon View Points along the Mall Road.
He also said that his tenure as Assistant Commissioner in Nainital enabled him to replicate the same model on Mussoorie’s Mall Road, successfully removing hawkers who had encroached upon it—a move that earned him widespread appreciation. The SDM urged the town’s residents to support and commit themselves to implementing stern measures to resolve routine issues so that the town could regain much of its lost glory.
Mussoorie Samvaad, an initiative by the Mussoorie Press Club, is conceived as a monthly interactive forum bringing together distinguished personalities from Mussoorie for engaging in conversations with the local media. Through these sessions, the platform seeks to promote meaningful dialogue and provide insights into the work ethics, challenges, work ethic, and contribution towards Mussoorie’s development.
