PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
The Tourism and Culture minister Satpal Maharaj said that the State government has completed all necessary preparations for the Char Dham Yatra. He said that various departments including the local administration and Tourism department are actively involved in the arrangements. The Yatra will officially begin on April 30 with the opening of the portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham. The portals of Kedarnath will open on May 2 and Badrinath will open on May 4. Hemkund Sahib wil open on May 25. Maharaj said that to prevent inconvenience during helicopter bookings, officials have been directed to take strict action against black marketing of tickets and unauthorised parking charges on the yatra routes.
For infrastructure and management, financial allocations have been made including Rs 25 lakh to the Garhwal commissioner, Rs one crore each to the district magistrates of Haridwar, Tehri and Dehradun, Rs 50 lakh to Pauri DM and Rs three crore each to the DMs of Chamoli, Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag. A total of Rs 12.75 crore has been released so far, he said.
Maharaj also informed that arrangements for sanitation and toilet facilities have also been made. “Sulabh International Social Service Organisation of Dehradun has been paid 40 per cent of Rs 782.228 lakh for the maintenance of steel-frame toilets in Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Uttarkashi and along the Yamunotri route from Janki Chatti Barrier. A total of 1,584 toilet seats will be operational at 147 locations. This includes 82 seats on the Gangotri and Yamunotri routes, 551 seats at different locations in Rudraprayag, 60 seats on the Chamoli route and 20 seats on the Hemkund Sahib route,” he said.
He informed that for monitoring and safety, a Tourist Safety Management System has been put in place with provisions for both online and offline registration, including via mobile app and Aadhaar number. Offline registration centres are operational in Haridwar, Rishikesh, and Herbertpur. A State level control room has also been established at the headquarters of the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) in Dehradun, operating 24×7. A 15-line toll tourism helpline is active at 0135-1364 and further information is available at 0135-2552627 and 0135-2559898.
Maharaj said that Aadhaar-based registration for pilgrims began on March 20 and token and slot systems will be used for darshans to reduce waiting time and queues. The Transport department, along with the Joint Rotation Centre Rishikesh, has arranged 2,000 buses in Rishikesh, 600 in Haridwar and 100 in Herbertpur to accommodate the expected number of visitors, he said.
