Uttarakhand govt gears up for Char Dham Yatra; priest body apprehensive

A priests’ body in Uttarakhand that has representatives from all the major shrines in the hill state, has opposed the state government’s proposed move to start the annual Char Dham yatra from June 8.

Devbhoomi Tirtha Purohit Haqhakudhari Mahapanchayat, a priests’ body in Uttarakhand that has representatives from all the major shrines in the hill state, has opposed the state government’s proposed move to start the annual Char Dham yatra from June 8 in line with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs’(MHA) guidelines on opening religious places of worship amid the easing of lockdown restrictions that were imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.

The priests want the decision to open the shrines for pilgrims to be postponed for a few more weeks because of the spiralling number of Covid-19 positive cases in the hill state. (File photo for representation)

Brijesh Sati, the spokesperson of the mahapanchayat, said the priests of the four main shrines of Uttarakhand are against starting the Char Dham yatra from Monday, as they have expressed their reservations about maintaining strict social distancing norms and sanitisation of vehicles as a precautionary measure to prevent the pandemic.

“The opening of the Char Dham yatra is fraught with the risk of the spread of the infection, as it may not be feasible to maintain strict social distancing norms and sanitisation of vehicles. Besides, our hill state has been reporting a growing number of Covid-19 positive cases daily,” Sati said.

On Tuesday, representatives of the priests from the Kedarnath shrine met the district magistrate of Rudraprayag to discuss the matter. The priests from Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham Temple Committees have also raised similar objections.

Rajesh Semwal, co-secretary, Gangotri Dham Temple Committee, said Covid-19 positive cases are comparatively lesser in the hilly districts and most of them have been reported among the migrants who have returned to their home state amid the easing of lockdown restrictions.

“Those who tested Covid-19 positive have had a travel history from other states. If Char Dham yatra begins and pilgrims start coming from outside, then the infection is likely to spread. Under such circumstances, it’s prudent not to start the yatra from Monday,” said Semwal.

State cabinet minister Madan Kaushik, who is also the official spokesperson of the state government, said that the priests’ apprehensions would be taken into consideration before taking a final call on starting the Char Dham yatra from Monday.

“We’re closely studying the MHA guidelines. If the yatra starts from Monday, then it’ll be restricted to only pilgrims from Uttarakhand, as the interstate travel restrictions are still in place and state borders are closed. Besides, there are issues about acquiring passes while coming from the red zones. All these issues will be discussed threadbare before a final decision is taken on starting the Char Dham yatra from Monday,” Kaushik said.