Free tea and lunch, sanitation and shelter being facilitated by MCR
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | RISHIKESH
With the Char Dham Yatra set to start formally today, the Municipal Corporation of Rishikesh (MCR) has already taken various measures to ensure that the pilgrimage is convenient and that the visitors do not face any major inconvenience. In addition to handling the logistics and sanitation aspects related to the Yatra, the MCR is also handling the routine sanitation and other civic issues in the city at a time when the pilgrimage is expected to be bigger than last year with 22, 52, 212 persons having registered online and offline for the Yatra so far.
Rishikesh is the starting point of the Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand from where the bulk of the pilgrims board buses and taxis to visit the Char Dham. Considering the interests of the pilgrims, Dehradun district magistrate Savin Bansal had directed the MCR and local administration in Rishikesh to ensure that all arrangements are upto the mark. The Rishikesh municipal commissioner Shailendra Singh Negi informed that the Gayatri Parivar had provided free afternoon meal to the pilgrims undertaking the Char Dham Yatra. This facility is proving to be considerably convenient to the pilgrims, he said.
The assistant municipal commissioner Ramesh Singh Rawat said that on the directions of the Dehradun district magistarate, the MCR has undertaken various measures to ensure the convenience of the pilgrims while also focusing on vital aspects and routine works like sanitation. “The MCR is handling the logistics and other aspects related to the Char Dham Yatra in Rishikesh on the directions of the DM.
In association with others, we have ensured free meals for the pilgrims and we are also focusing on sanitation and the convenience of the visitors. Apart from the free lunch, free tea is also being provided to the pilgrims. We have deployed mobile toilets and have also put up German hanger tents to provide shelter to travellers and pilgrims. The police and regional transport office have put up checkposts at various locations. There are six registration counters at the ISBT and 24 at the transit camps to ensure that the pilgrims do not face inconvenience or unnecessary delay even in case of crowding. We have also put up stalls of self help groups in various locations so that both the locals and the pilgrims benefit,” he said.
