PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
The Char Dham Yatra circuit has been divided into 15 super zones, 41 zones and 137 sectors, with each sector spanning 10 kilometres, staffed by police personnel on round-the-clock duty for the first time in Uttarakhand. These arrangements are part of a comprehensive plan of the police to ensure smooth traffic and safety management during the Char Dham Yatra which will commence on April 30.
The inspector general of Garhwal range, Rajeev Swaroop, has been appointed as the nodal officer for the yatra. He will directly oversee security, traffic regulation, crowd control, and disaster preparedness along the yatra routes and key halt points.
In a Press conference on Friday, Swaroop said that a Char Dham Yatra Control Room is being established at the Garhwal range office, under the supervision of Dehradun superintendent of police (Traffic), Lokjeet Singh. This control room will operate 24×7 and include dedicated personnel from different police ranks. It will handle registration, traffic flow, parking, duty management and coordination with other departments. The control room is expected to be fully operational within five days and will provide daily updates to senior officials.
He said that at the State headquarters level, a separate Char Dham Cell will be formed under DIG (Crime and Law and Order) Dhirendra Gunjyal. This unit will collect and coordinate information related to the pilgrimage. He stated that to manage the entire route, nine additional superintendents of police (ASP) have been assigned as route officers, while each of the four Dhams will be under the charge of a deputy superintendent of police. The police deployment plan includes 24 DSPs, 66 inspectors, 366 sub-inspectors, 615 head constables, 1,222 constables, 208 female constables, 926 home guards, 1049 PRD personnel, nine PAC companies and 26 SDRF sub-teams. He stated that traffic management strategies are also underway, with the IG Traffic and his team conducting ground inspections and preparing a blueprint for smooth movement along the routes. Additional halting areas and parking spaces are being arranged along the Yamunotri route, in coordination with the administration.
The IG said that in a move similar to the Rishikesh Transit Camp, a facility is being set up in the Vikasnagar area for managing pilgrims and vehicles heading to Yamunotri and Gangotri, supervised by Vikasnagar SP. He informed that feedback is being collected from all district officials to assess the required police force. The police will deploy more personnel than previous years from across the State, including from the Kumaon range. All assigned personnel will receive specific training related to the management of the pilgrimage. A welfare officer will be posted at the control room to oversee logistics and support for the deployed teams. The department has also reviewed challenges from previous years and shared them with district magistrates and departments concerned for timely planning and execution, Swaroop said.
