PNS | DEHRADUN
The Uttarakhand Transport department is considering making green cards mandatory for all public transport vehicle operators travelling on Char Dham routes, regardless of whether they intend to visit the Char Dham temples or not. This proposal will be discussed in a crucial meeting on Wednesday, chaired by Garhwal commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey, as part of the preparations for the Char Dham Yatra, which is expected to begin in April this year.
The nodal officer for the Char Dham Yatra and regional transport officer (Administration) Sunil Sharma, confirmed this development. Green cards are issued annually to commercial drivers travelling to Char Dham locations after verifying essential documents, including the vehicle’s fitness, permit and the driver’s license for hill driving. These cards streamline the checking process by allowing operators to present a single document rather than multiple papers. However, according to Sharma, many vehicle operators currently bypass this requirement by claiming they are heading to locations like Chopta instead of the Char Dham temples. Since the primary focus of officials is ensuring the safe arrival of pilgrims at the shrines, checks are usually conducted only for vehicles explicitly heading toward the Char Dham destinations.
Sharma said that to close this loophole and enhance road safety, the Transport department is considering making green cards mandatory for all public transport vehicles using Char Dham routes. Sharma explained that this measure will help enforce safety protocols more effectively, as checking each document individually for every vehicle is impractical, especially during peak season. “If implemented, it will ensure that all vehicles meet safety standards before entering these routes, making enforcement more efficient during the Yatra. The proposal will be presented before the Garhwal commissioner during the upcoming meeting,” he said.
He informed that the department is also planning to modify the registration process for the Char Dham Yatra by allocating 50 per cent of the registrations online while reserving the remaining 50 per cent for on the spot offline registrations. Another key consideration is improving the deployment of personnel at the two major checkposts in Rishikesh- Brahmapuri and Bhadrakali. Sharma said that personnel sometimes struggle to reach these checkpoints on time due to early morning pilgrim movements and traffic congestion.
To address this, arrangements for personnel to stay at these locations are under discussion. Sharma stated that all these proposals, along with other necessary preparations, will be thoroughly reviewed in Wednesday’s meeting to ensure a safer and more organised Char Dham Yatra this year.
