PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
The Kedarnath MLA Asha Nautiyal has opined that based on public opinion, she supports restricting the entry of non-Hindus on the Kedarnath trek. She said that recently the Rudraprayag district minister in-charge Saurabh Bahuguna had held a meeting with locals and various stakeholders. “One of the major points that was raised by all in the meeting was that non-Hindus visiting Kedarnath indulge in objectionable activities like consumption of meat and alcohol. We do not want such elements to come to such sacred places to denigrate the sanctity of our pilgrimage sites.
Prohibiting the entry of such elements alligns with the broader objective of maintaining the spiritual and religious purity of the temple surroundings,” she said. Nautiyal claimed that she will soon approach chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in this regard. The BJP state spokeswoman Madhu Bhatt also supported Nautiyal’s stance that non-Hindus should be banned from visiting Kedarnath.
She stated that Kedarnath is a religious site and there are no restrictions on any citizen visiting the place. However, she added that since some individuals are tarnishing its image, there is no harm in imposing a ban on their entry. It is pertinent to mention here that Char Dham Yatra is scheduled to commence on April 30 and the portal of Kedarnath will reopen on May 2.
