Demand to stop Char Dham Yatra gathers momentum as heavy rains hit Uttarakhand
Friday, 13 September 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Questions are being raised in various quarters over the propriety of Uttarakhand government’s decision to continue with the Char Dham Yatra even as the State is hit by a strong spell of rains. The rains have resulted in road blockades in many parts of the State and the Kedarnath Yatra route is blocked due to landslides.
Taking strong exception to the statement of Garhwal commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey in which he advised pilgrims to wear helmet as a precautionary measure in stretches of Yatra, the chief spokesperson of Uttarakhand Congress Garima Dasauni said that the government should stop Yatra for the safety of the pilgrims. She said that the statement of Pandey shows that the Yatra route is very dangerous and in such a situation the rationale behind continuing the Yatra is incomprehensible. Dasauni added that the experts are of the view that the weather conditions at present prevailing over Uttarakhand are similar to the time of the Kedarnath disaster. She said that it is the responsibility of the government to ensure the safety of the people. The Congress leader said that the government has failed in maintaining transparency in Yatra this year. “ The State administration has not given the actual data of the people who have lost their lives in the Yatra so far and the number of missing pilgrims and those who have visited the State for the Yatra,’’ she said.
The founder of Social Development for Communities (SDC) foundation Anoop Nautiyal also appealed to the government to stop Char Dham Yatra. He said that the IMD has issued a red alert for heavy rains in the State and the experts are equating the current situation with the Kedarnath disaster of 2013. ‘Instead of asking pilgrims to wear helmets it would be prudent to stop Yatra,’’ he suggested.
