E-Paper
U’khand takes back step to cap number of Char Dham pilgrims
According to the order issued by the state government: “The decision to roll back the daily cap on pilgrim numbers was taken based on the directions of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami after due deliberation on the matter”.
The Uttarakhand government on Friday rolled back its decision of imposing a daily cap on the number of pilgrims visiting the state for the upcoming Char Dham Yatra, starting from Saturday, according to a government notification. The Char Dham Yatra is a tour of four holy sites — Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.
The portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri Dhams will be opened on Saturday while the portals of Kedarnath Dham and Badrinath Dham will open on April 25 and April 27 respectively.
According to the order issued by the state government: “The decision to roll back the daily cap on pilgrim numbers was taken based on the directions of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami after due deliberation on the matter”.
The CM has also issued directions that online and offline registrations will continue like earlier to keep a track of pilgrim numbers and “for crowd management”. The decision to roll back the daily cap was taken following protests by Char Dham yatra-related stakeholders, including traders, priests, travel and tour operators, who maintained it will affect the livelihood of the people dependent on the yatra.
Abhishek Ahluwalia, patron Sanyukt Morcha Paryatan Udyog and former president of the tour operator association said, “Nowhere in the country there is the capping of pilgrims to the major shrines but in Uttarakhand this arrangement had created many apprehensions among pilgrims and the stakeholders related to the yatra.”
The state government had put a cap on daily pilgrim numbers for Char Dham shrines. For the Yamunotri shrine, the daily limit was 5,500 pilgrims, for Gangotri 9,000, for Badrinath 15,000 and for Kedarnath shrine 18,000.
Earlier in the day, Dhami, while flagging off some pilgrim buses at Rishikesh said, “The state government is committed to ensure that every devotee coming to Char Dham shrines avails the darshan.The state is determined to ensure a safe yatra. The preparations are being constantly reviewed at every level.”
Dhami said, “This time, the state government will shower flowers by helicopter to welcome the pilgrims coming for the Char Dham Yatra”. So far, 16 lakh pilgrims have registered for the yatra, according to officials.
