DEHRADUN: Amdist the surge of devotees for the Char Dham Yatra over the past 48 hours leading to disruptions among several other concerns including the safety of the pilgrims, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has personally intervened.
Dhami emphasized that it is our collective responsibility to guarantee that every pilgrim entering the state in the hope of visiting the pilgrimage sites can access the revered shrine.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, reviewing the arrangements for the Yatra through virtual means from New Delhi on Saturday, directed for the Chardham online registration system to be made even more effective.
The District Magistrate of Chamoli, Himanshu Khurana, apprised the Chief Minister that around 21,807 devotees visited the Badrinath shrine on Saturday. He also mentioned that an inspection of the pedestrian routes for the Hemkund Sahib pilgrimage was conducted by him.
The District Magistrate of Uttarkashi, Dr Mehrban Singh Bisht, disclosed that on Saturday, a total of 14,522 pilgrims made their way to the revered Yamunotri shrine. Furthermore, he highlighted the implementation of a gate system to facilitate a steady stream of devotees being directed towards both Yamunotri and Gangotri.
According to sources, Commissioner Garhwal Vinay Shankar Pandey inspected the travel office in Rishikesh on Saturday on the instructions of the CMO to ensure the convenience and ease of pilgrims going on Chardham Yatra.
Pandey said that people travelling to the shrine from within the site need not reisgter online and added that around 800 pilgrims from Rishikesh were sent to Char Dham Yatra on Saturday.
Pandey also said that those who are travelling to the pilgrimage sites from outside the state will allowed to visit only after registering online.
Yogendra Gangwar, the Joint Director of the Uttarakhand Tourism Department responsible for overseeing the registration and facilitation process of the Char Dham Yatra, told The New Indian Express, “Since the beginning of this year’s Yatra season on May 10, around 555,436 devotees have visited the sacred Char Dham sites in just nine days, as of Saturday evening.”
He further stated that the number of registrations for the Char Dham Yatra has reached 3 million as of Saturday.
