PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE /Dehradun
To make the Char Dham Yatra more comfortable for devotees during long queues before darshan, priests have raised the demand for better arrangements. To manage the crowd and ensure discipline, additional forces including paramilitary forces have been deployed at the district level to enhance Char Dham arrangements and security.
Several videos recently went viral on social media showing long queues of devotees in Kedarnath. Many devotees demanded better arrangements and proper crowd management.
“We held a meeting with stakeholders, businessmen and priests to discuss how to ensure smooth movement of pilgrims inside the shrine premises,” inspector general of police (Garhwal) Rajeev Swaroop said. “We reviewed the situation and also instructed the Rudraprayag superintendent of police to review the force deployment from time to time,” he added.
Swaroop said that special arrangements have also been made at Sonprayag, where a large number of devotees gather on their way to Kedarnath. He said hotel owners were requested to inform pilgrims staying in their hotels about their time off darshan. Hotels and dharamshalas were also asked to coordinate so that devotees staying there could reach the barricading and checking point at their allotted time. He added that the arrangement is completely voluntary.
Giving information about force deployment, Swaroop said that security personnel have been deployed in Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri, Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi for the smooth and peaceful conduct of the Char Dham Yatra.
He said three companies of forces were deployed in Dehradun, one in Pauri Garhwal, one in Tehri, two in Chamoli, one in Rudraprayag and one in Uttarkashi. An additional company has also been deployed in Dehradun to strengthen security arrangements.
