Saturday, 11 March 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Additional chief secretary Radha Raturi chaired a meeting with hoteliers, tour operators and Teerth Purohits along with officials concerned regarding the Char Dham Yatra slated to start next month. She said that this year more pilgrims are expected to undertake the Yatra compared to the previous year. Considering this, the government is reviewing preparations at all levels.
She directed officials to ensure that the power and water supply is proper before the portals of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri are opened.The online registration process should be simplified further. She appealed to representatives of various fraternities concerned asking for collective efforts to send a positive message regarding the Yatra.
Tourism secretary Sachin Kurve said that till Thursday more than 2.12 lakh people had registered for the pilgrimage. He said that a better and transparent system is being implemented for helicopter booking this year. Ganga Sabha head Sanjeev Semwal thanked the government for construction of a new Ghat at Gangotri. Uttarkashi hotel association head Shailendra Matuda gave suggestions regarding the parking facility while representatives of other bodies also gave suggestions on different aspects. Raturi said that the suggestions received in the meeting will be communicated to the chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Various bodies oppose limiting pilgrim numbers
The Uttarakhand Char Dham Teerth Mahapanchayat held a meeting with members of various fraternities connected to the pilgrimage. The participants objected to the government fixing the number of people undertaking the Yatra. Along with the online registration facility, they also demanded an offline facility. It was decided that a plan for an agitation will be prepared soon if the government does not agree to these demands.The Mahapanchayat general secretary Brijesh Sati said that the registration of pilgrims should be discontinued. If registration is needed for convenience and safety of the pilgrims, an offline registration facility should also be started. Uttarkashi hotel association head Shailendra Matuda opposed the government fixing the number of people undertaking the pilgrimage. The Mahapanchayat media in-charge Rajnikant Semwal said that an agitation will be planned if the government fails to initiate any action on these issues in one week.
