Owners of hotels, guesthouses, and homestays in Mussoorie will now have to register their guests on an Internet portal run by the Uttarakhand Department of Tourism as part of measures to ensure that the fragile ecology of the region is not burdened beyond its ‘carrying capacity’ – which refers to the maximum number of individuals an ecosystem or specific area can sustainably support without degrading natural resources or causing significant environmental damage.This directive is part of a suite of 19 preventive and remedial measures recommended in a 2023 report by a committee appointed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to protect the environment of the popular Himalayan tourist destination. On May 8, the tribunal took note of the action taken based on the report in an affidavit by the state government, and pressed on the state to expedite the implementation of these steps.Process of registration“Registration of tourists should be done according to the carrying capacity of the area, especially the available parking space, guest room availability, etc. Tourists can be charged for visiting the Mussoorie area, and the payment can be utilised for managing waste and cleanliness,” the 2023 report had said.After dragging its feet for some time, the state Tourism Department began trials on the registration of tourists, which was one of the 19 recommendations, on Wednesday. A meeting was convened to apprise owners of hotels and homestays of the NGT order, district tourism development officer Brijendra Pandey said.“We have given a live demo to the managers and owners on how to register their units in the system and fill in the data of the tourists. This registration will be carried out in real time when visitors check in,” Pandey said.Tourist arrivals in Mussoorie, which is around 320 km from Delhi and well connected by road and rail (till Dehradun), have been increasing steadily. From an estimated 1.5 lakh visitors in 1958, the number of tourists reached 3 lakh in 1966, and 8.5 lakh by 2000. In 2019, the last year before the Covid-19 pandemic, more than 30 lakh tourists visited the hill station.These numbers have put great pressure on Mussoorie’s physical infrastructure. As of 2023, the registered accommodation in the area included 303 hotels, 201 homestays, and six dharamshalas. All public and private parking together had space for only 1,240 vehicles, and the committee had suggested in 2023 that the number of tourist vehicles should be limited to this number.Story continues below this adAlso Read | Why farmer coalition SKM opposes Centre’s National Cooperation Policy 2025The 2011 Census recorded the resident population of Mussoorie at 30,118. The 2023 report estimated this number would increase by 23% by 2037 and 52% by 2052. The hill station already suffers from a shortage of water – the 7.69 million litres per day supply from six pumping stations and six gravity sources by the Mussoorie Nagar Palika has to be augmented by water from the Yamuna Water Supply Scheme.Fragile mountain zoneThe hill station, located at an altitude of 2,005 metres above sea level in the foothills of the Garhwal Himalayas, is in Seismic Zone IV, one step below the most active Zone V.A 2007 study had concluded that the highly jointed, fractured, and weathered carbonate rock mass, and the steep slopes and high water percolation into them, create ideal conditions for slope instability in the area.Many buildings stand on slopes steeper than 40 degrees, and many are taller than the 12-metre height that is permissible under the Uttarakhand Building By-Laws and Regulation, 2001.Story continues below this adThe NGT had earlier cited a report by the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration on Mussoorie’s carrying capacity in 2001, which had concluded that no further constructions were viable. Dr Vikram Gupta, Scientist F at Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology in Dehradun, had backed this finding, saying that the limestone in Mussoorie was weak with microcracks.In 2023, following the Joshimath land subsidence incident, the NGT had flagged similar risks to Mussoorie and surrounding areas.“Over-concretisation leads to landslides. The proposed tunnel below Mussoorie is dangerous. So is the proposed ropeway from Dehradun to Mussoorie. The ropeway and tunnel have damaged Joshimath. Traffic congestion adds to the burden on the mountain’s road. Excessive building activities are beyond the capacity of Mussoorie,” it had said.